Fuinnecting The Dots
by enunciiate
Summary: Missing Fuinn scenes from each episode of season 3. Sequel to Fuinning In The Blanks. Please R&R!
1. The Purple Piano Project

**A/N:** I will go down with this ship.

**The Purple Piano Project**

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><p>Quinn tried to act cool as she walked through the familiar halls of McKinley. As she passed by the girls' bathroom, however, she made a detour, a sudden desperate need to escape the stares and the whispers from her fellow students overtaking her. <em>What the hell was she doing?<em> She checked the stalls to make sure they were empty before bracing her hands on either side of the porcelain sink. _Seriously, what the hell was she doing?_ She continued to stare at her reflection in the bathroom mirror, but what was she even searching for? The old Quinn Fabray? She scoffed because as far as she was concerned, the old Quinn Fabray, the one who was hopelessly in love with Finn Hudson, was dead.

She played with the ends of her short, pink hair as she practiced her 'look at all the fucks I give' face. It had been harder to master than she had thought, but after spending the last two weeks practicing, she had the look down pat. _There_, she mused to herself after a moment's consideration. _Perfect. She was good to go. Under this illusion of confidence, she was ready to face anyone and everyone._ Still, when she whirled around, she let out a small shriek, her cool façade broken.

"_Santana!_ You almost gave me a heart attack!" she hissed, her heart racing under the palm of her hand. "I thought you had class."

"Bathroom break," the Latina answered, eyeing her carefully. "Nice look, Quinn."

Quinn ignored the lack of sincerity in her voice, said a quick 'thank you', and made a move to walk past her only to run into her outstretched arm.

"Q, you need to stop this reckless behavior," Santana told her, pushing her back a step. "The team's worried about you."

The mention of the team had caught Quinn off guard and she crossed her arms over her chest, bracing herself as the bad memories began to floor her mind.

"_You manipulative bitch!" Finn shouted, pointing a finger menacingly at her._

_He took a step toward her and Puck came in between them, ready to defend her._

"_Hey!" Puck yelled back, his voice shaking the house. "We were all in this together, Hudson, so either you redirect your anger at all of us or your face can say 'hello' to my fist."_

_Quinn was at a complete loss of words as those harsh words continued to ring in her ears. You manipulative bitch! You manipulative bitch! You manipulative bitch! She looked down at her feet, glancing at the others from the corner of her eye. Santana was comforting Brittany, who was now regretting having told Finn and Rachel the truth about everything the team had done this summer to sabotage them. While Quinn knew she should probably be very angry with the blonde for selling them out, she knew poor, simple Brittany had had a tough time keeping their schemes a secret for the last two months. She should never have schemed to get Finn back anyway. She should have anticipated an ugly ending like this because in all honesty, when had things really worked out for her this year?_

"_Shut up, Puck," Finn hissed in return, still unable to believe that the four of them had been pitting him and Rachel against each other all summer vacation._

"_Do not test me," Puck warned him, his hands clenched into tight fists on either side of his body. "You're just upset that our plans to break you two up almost succeeded."  
><em>

_Finn crinkled his nose in confusion, considerably less angry than before, but still fuming._

"_What the hell are you talking about? Rachel and I are nowhere near breaking up. We love each other, a lot," he enlightened his "best friend" and his words instantly commanded the attention of the room._

_As the words fell from his lips, Quinn felt the last ray of hope she had had for them vanish because the tone of his voice had been unmistakable. He had meant every freaking word of what he had said. She looked past Puck, straight at him and the look of absolute indifference he gave her shook her to her very core. She had been such an idiot, thinking that she could get Finn back. She had been such an idiot for even wanting him back after he had dumped her at that funeral._

_Her eyes moved away from him and onto Rachel, who had been sitting silently on the couch, the expression on her face betraying no emotions. It was then that she realized that Rachel was the girl he loved. She was merely someone he constantly came running back to only because she was his first love. Finn was in love with the idea of first loves. He no longer loved her. Maybe he hadn't in a long time. _

_She was unable to hold back the sarcastic laugh that left her lips as she thought about how stupid she had been. All summer she thought she had been playing Finn and Rachel when all along, the only person she had been fooling was herself. Noticing the tear that had fallen down her cheek, Santana rushed to her side immediately, pulling Brittany along with her. Quinn had never been more grateful to be a part of the unholy trinity._

"_Is that what she told you, Hudson?" Puck challenged him, looking to Rachel for emphasis. "Or are you assuming her love for you runs just as deep as your supposed love for her?_

_Rachel looked away from him when his eyes met hers, chewing nervously on her bottom lip, and Puck already had his answer. He had spent a lot of time this summer hanging out with Rachel (only doing things he would have done with any other good friend of his). He thought they had really connected and the brunette had even told him on several occasions that he seemed to understand her better than anyone else._

_Last night, he was sure that Rachel had been leaning in for a kiss. Had he simply built everything up inside his head to unrealistic proportions? How did he manage to come out looking like the idiot every single time when the only idiot he could see standing in the room at the moment was Finn fucking Hudson? He noticed Finn and Rachel open their mouths, both preparing to answer his questions, but Puck put up a hand to stop them._

"_Spare me," he said, echoing the sarcastic laugh Quinn had made earlier as he came to a similar realization._

_Finn was the boy she loved. He would always be second best unless Finn suddenly disappeared off the face of the planet and even then, Puck was sure he would have to continue living in his goddamn shadow. He was so fucking done with this shit._

"_We're leaving," Santana announced, making the decision for all of them._

_No one protested. Brittany left first, pulling Quinn along. Puck followed closely behind them, resisting the urge to slam the front door. As Santana prepared to leave, she turned back to address them one last time._

"_Puck and Quinn might have taken things a little too far this summer, but at least they went after what they wanted," she told them, pursing her lips together, her displeasure obvious. "Are you two even sure of what you want? Quinn or Rachel? Finn, Puck, or Jesse? Everyone knows the two of you will probably never make up your goddamn minds, but those idiots actually love you enough to continue hoping that you will. Get the fuck over yourselves because I am going to make sure they spend the next two weeks getting over you."_

_She slammed the door behind her. The force seemed to shake all of Lima._

"The summer's over, Santana," she reminded her, making a move to go past her again. "I'm starting fresh."

Santana pushed her back again and scoffed, "Yeah, but like this? Puck's starting fresh too, but you don't see him strolling around school with pink hair and a bad tattoo. Is that real by the way? Because that would be _seriously _unfortunate."

"None of your business," Quinn spat, shoving past her. "Just piss off, okay?"

"You'll get tired of running away from what happened this summer, Q," Santana finished from behind her, making no move to stop her from leaving this time. "We'll be here for you when you do."

Quinn paused in her steps for a split second at her words before barraging through the bathroom door again. Forget her, forget _them_. She was going to _rock _at being the new Quinn Fabray.

* * *

><p>Quinn took a drag of her cigarette, staring off into the distance as she waited for her new friends to arrive. She was supposed to be in English right now, but she was hardly in the mood to hear her prehistoric teacher drone on and on about how amazing 'The Great Gatsby' was.<p>

"Quinn," she heard a familiar voice utter her name then and she froze, watching the puff of smoke billowing from her open mouth.

"What do you want?" she asked him as she continued to stare straight ahead, her voice cool and indifferent.

She heard him take a couple of steps toward her and she sidestepped, widening the distance between them once more.

"_What do you want?_" she repeated, turning her head to the side to look at him this time.

It had been two weeks since the big blowout. Neither or them had tried to contact the other since. In fact, Quinn had actually put in an effort to avoid him.

"Come back to glee club, Quinn," he urged her, taking a step back, not wanting to upset her.

She let out a laugh at his command, bringing the cigarette to her lips again.

"Well, since _you _asked, Finn," she drawled sarcastically, unable to hold back an eye roll.

He was so transparent. It was obvious that Rachel had asked him to come and talk to her after _her _attempt to get her to return had failed, which Quinn thought was pretty freaking insensitive of her, considering the petite brunette _knew _she still had feelings for Finn.

Reading her mind, he corrected her, "Actually, I came here on my own. You don't have to come back to glee club, Quinn, but this? This isn't _you_."

"Oh, I'm sorry," she apologized, not a hint of sincerity in her voice. "Does this look not scream 'manipulative bitch' enough for you?"

It was a low blow, but Finn had hurt her bad. A wave of satisfaction washed over her as she witnessed him flinch at her reminder.

"I'm sorry I called you that, but meddling with my relationship with Rachel was crossing the line, Quinn," he pointed out to her, hoping she would understand his point of view.

"Rachel's meddled with your relationship with _me _in the past," she retorted, still suppressing her numerous emotions. "I've never heard you call her a manipulative bitch before. Double standards much?"

Finn ignored her and continued, "Quinn, I understand why you're doing this. I hurt you really bad and you th-"

"_Don't_ flatter yourself," she hissed, stomping over to him and waving her cigarette around wildly in the air. "People reinvent themselves all the time, Finn, and I can _assure_ you that my new look has _nothing _to do with you. Are you done boring me now?"

His face hardened at her sharp tone and he backed away from her again, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

"Yeah," he echoed, shaking his head in disappointment at her, _at himself_. "Give me a call when Quinn Fabray re-inhabits your body."

As he turned the corner, her new friends approached her from behind.

"He giving you some sort of trouble, Quinn?" one of them asked, the others echoing her question with a curt nod. "We can deal with him for you."

She shook her head, drowning out their words as they started to chat amongst themselves. She was _not_ about to let Finn get to her. There was nothing wrong with reinventing herself. She was still Quinn Fabray. She had simply allowed her rebellious side to shine through. _Right, she was not going to let him get to her._

When she passed by the auditorium later though and heard the glee club performing 'You Can't Stop The Beat', she found herself staying to watch the performance. She was hidden in the shadows of course, but for some reason, Finn sensed she was there and turned his head, looking right at her. She panicked a little, having been caught reminiscing over her old life. Surprisingly, he merely gave her a boyish smile and a small wave and she found herself smiling back.

After school, he stopped by her locker and asked her, "So, you thinking about joining glee club again? Going back to being you?"

"I _am _me," she insisted as she had earlier, closing her locker door. "As for rejoining the glee club, we'll see."

She bumped his shoulder lightly as she brushed past him, turning around to throw a wink in his direction. He grinned back at her, glad that the girl he was in love with was still in there somewhere. Wait, 'in love with'? _No_, he corrected himself, shaking his head as he headed in the opposite direction. _Loved. Past tense. The girl he loved._

_Oh crap. Here we go again._


	2. I Am Unicorn

**A/N:** 14 reviews on the last chapter! Wow, why are you guys so awesome?

**I Am Unicorn**

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><p><em><strong>Quinn, text me back please. We need to talk…again. - Puck<strong>_

_We have nothing more to talk about._

_**Taking lunch money from kids. Seriously, Quinn? I pull that sort of shit, not you. - Santana**_

_I will do what I want, Satan._

_**Quinn, come back to glee club! - Rachel**_

_LOL, no._

_**I am going to keep texting you until you answer. - Puck**_

_I hope you have a phone plan with unlimited texting then._

_**You're a unicorn, Quinn! - Brittany**_

_The fuck?_

_**Forget texting. I'm going to start calling you now. - Puck**_

_Suit yourself._

_**You, me, and Santana. We're unicorns. - Brittany**_

_Britt, what are you smoking?_

_**I know Shelby being here has made things worse for you, but this madness needs to stop, Quinn. - Santana**_

_No, you need to stop, S._

_**Quinn, I strongly believe that you need the glee club now more than ever. Come back. - Rachel**_

_I'm Quinn Fabray. I don't need anyone._

_**Forget the fucking phone. I'm going to track you down. - Puck**_

_Good luck with that._

**Quinn, you're so forgetful! Lord Tubbington smokes, not me. He's a unicorn too! - Brittany**

_O_O_

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><p>Quinn sighed as her phone vibrated again. She was eating lunch alone today on the bleachers, not wanting any company whatsoever. She had been thinking about Beth more than usual lately and Shelby being a teacher here now, where Quinn would see her everyday, was certainly not helping matters. Reluctantly, she reached for the phone, knowing that Puck was probably calling her again. (<em>Of course <em>he hadn't found her yet.) The blonde had no idea why he was being so goddamn persistent. She had already told him a thousand times that there was absolutely _nothing _more to talk about.

"What do you want, Puck?" she questioned, irritation in her voice. "How many times do I have to tell you that we have absolutely _nothing _more to talk about before you get the freaking message?"

"You _should _talk to him, Quinn," Finn answered from the other end of the line, knowing that she had forgotten to check the caller ID because of her frustration. "We're all really worried about you."

She gripped her cell phone a little tighter, the genuine concern in his voice only making her pain greater. She knew Shelby being here was hurting him too. How could the reminder that Beth was Drizzle before the truth of her infidelity came out _not _be killing him right now? Why was he so concerned about how _she _was feeling rather than licking his own wounds?

Reading her mind, he said, "Quinn, you made a mistake. We all do. I've forgiven you, so why can't you forgive yourself?"

_He felt like he had said these words before._

"That was only my first mistake," she murmured, mostly to herself. "Things continued to go downhill from there. I should _never _have given Beth up for adoption. _I'm _her mother, Finn."

He remained silent, knowing that she had so much more to say. He had had no game plan when he had called her, no goal. He simply wanted to be there for her during this time in whatever way he could. The reminder of how that sweet little baby had never really been his _did _kill him. _It did_, but he was also very much aware that Quinn was hurting even more than he was. She was her mother after all. Quinn pretended to be strong, but Finn knew her better than that. Her decision to give Beth up for adoption had been eating away at her ever since she had handed her over to Shelby. The new her was simply an unfortunate consequence of all that buildup. Him yelling at her had probably been the last straw, the breaking point, and he felt slightly guilty for that.

"I mean, what was I thinking?" Quinn wondered, her voice cracking a little as her emotions broke through her cool exterior. "I _abandoned _her, Finn. What kind of mother does that?"

"Stop," Finn murmured and she froze because not only did she hear him through the phone, she heard his voice coming from behind her.

She whirled her head around, spotting Finn sitting a few rows behind her, and she couldn't help but smile at his presence.

"How did you know I was here?" she asked him, patting the seat next to her for him to come join her.

He hung up the phone at the same time as she did, walking down to accompany her.

"Lucky guess," he answered with a nonchalant shrug, but they both knew that wasn't true.

They had spent many afternoons here talking about their future with baby Drizzle.

"You didn't _abandon _her Quinn," he assured her, getting back to their conversation. "You did what was best for her. Raising a baby on top of school and everything would have been near impossible."

"I would have had help," she argued, a wave of regret coursing through her veins again. "From Puck, from my mom, from _his _mom."

"From me," Finn added, a sad smile on his face. "She may not be mine biologically, but I love her anyway, Q. After all, she's half _you_, isn't she? How could I not?"

She stared at him for a long while afterward, letting his words sink in. The first tear fell and then more of them came until her body shook with every gut-wrenching sob. Finn pulled her into him, allowing her to sob into his chest. He rocked her back and forth, back and forth, whispering into her hair that everything was going to be okay, that he was going to be here for her.

"Thank you, Finn," she murmured against him once her hysterics had subsided and he laughed, pulling her away from him, so he could look at her properly.

He cradled her head in his hands, wiping away any tears that remained with his thumbs.

"Don't thank me just yet," he warned her, a chuckle escaping from his lips. "I'm about to say some things you probably don't want to hear."

"Let me guess," Quinn started, rolling her eyes at him. "My new look has got to go?"

"Don't get me wrong," he told her, putting his hands up in surrender. "I think you look _super _hot, but you don't want Beth to see you like this, right?"

"Why not? This is _me_," she answered, building up her walls again.

She reached into her purse for a cigarette only to be stopped by Finn, who wrapped his hand forcefully around her slender wrist.

"No, this is you punishing yourself," he insisted, sliding his hand down to hold hers. "Beth deserves to know _you_, the _real _you. I mean, come on, Quinn. Even _Puck's_ making an effort."

Quinn looked down at where her hand was in his for awhile, biting her lip in contemplation. Finally, her eyes locked onto his.

"Okay," she promised him, giving him a tiny smile.

"Okay?" he repeated, feeling like this scene had happened before too.

"Yeah," she assured him, bumping his shoulder lightly with hers.

"Good because you matter to me, Quinn," he confessed, placing a kiss on her head. "Thinking about losing you forever, the _real _you, kind of freaks me out."

Just when Quinn was about to reiterate her promise to him, his phone rang and nothing ruined a moment quite like Rachel Berry did.

Finn pulled away from her, getting up from the bleachers and apologizing for his quick departure, "I have to go. I totally forgot Rachel was waiting for me."

"It's fine, Finn," she responded, waving him off. "I've got to go find Santana and Brittany anyway."

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><p>Quinn headed down the corridor toward the auditorium where the extra dance classes were taking place. Her phone rang. <em>Ugh.<em> It better _not _be Puckerman.

_**Thank God you decided to come to us, Quinn. You look fabulous again. - Santana**_

_Yeah, thanks._

_**I'm proud of you, Quinn. I hope you'll come to rehearsal. - Finn  
><strong>_

_**So, are you planning to rejoin the Cheerios too? - Santana**_

_No._

_**Glad you're back to being you, Fabray. Can we talk now? - Puck**_

_Still nothing to talk about, Puck._

_**Why the hell not? Come on, Q! Unholy trinity and all that good shit. - Santana**_

_Nope._

**I sent you a photo of Beth. Did you get it? - Shelby**

I did. Thanks.

_**Quinn, being a Cheerio is part of who you are. What happened to 'Finn made me realize I was only pretending to be someone else to cope with the pain.'?**_

_I'm reverting to the old me more to get Beth back than for me. Besides, it's going to take me awhile to get rid of my badass persona and fully return to being the old Quinn Fabray. _

_**Good. Glad to see you got your act together. - Shelby**_

_**Okay, whatever. What do you mean by 'get Beth back' exactly? - Santana**_

_You'll see._

**_I might be a bicorn. - Brittany_**

_O_O"_


	3. Asian F

**A/N:** I was listening to 'Invincible' by Hedley (probably one of my favorite bands _ever_) and then, this chapter happened. Enjoy and reviews would be lovely as always.

**Asian F**

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><p>Quinn let out a hiss as she hit the ground, but she got up almost immediately to work through the dance routine again. She counted the steps inside her head. <em>One<em>, two, three, four, _five_, six, seven, eight, _two_, two, three, four, _five_, six, seven…_Damn it!_ She was on the floor again. Her transitions from one move to the next were absolutely _flawless _inside her mind. It was her executions that were flawed.

"It helps when you have some music," someone spoke up from somewhere in the auditorium.

She recognized the voice instantly. _Finn? _What was _he _doing here? She shielded her eyes from the blinding lights from where she stood on the stage, searching for him.

"Here," he sounded, waving at her from the back of the auditorium to get her attention.

He walked down the aisle toward her, a lopsided smile on his face and Quinn found herself smiling back at him. _Oh God, was she nervous?_ She made sure her smile faded once he was on the stage, standing in front of her. The last thing she wanted was for him to think that she was actually _happy _to see him (even though she _totally _was).

"What are you doing here, Finn?" she questioned, looking past him to emphasize her point. "Should you not be with _Rachel_?"

He let out a small laugh, shaking his head at her assumption.

"Rachel and I are dating, Quinn, but we don't spend every waking moment with each other," he corrected her, the silly grin never leaving his face.

_He was so happy to see her, alone._

"Why not?" she asked him, her tone biting. "_We_ did when _we _were dating."

She hated to conjure up old feelings between them again, but she wanted to hear him admit that their relationship had been _different_. Quinn was desperate to have someone, _anyone _tell her that she was irreplaceable as a girlfriend (and a _mother_). He stared at her for a good second or two, at an obvious loss for words.

When he finally found his voice again, he told her, "We were different. _You_, I wanted to spend every waking moment with."

His answer made her heart pound and she made a real effort to pretend that his words had not affected her.

"Yet, you feel tethered to _Rachel_, not me," she sneered instead, masking how hurt she still was with her bitchiness.

A whole summer had passed, but Quinn felt like he had only broken her heart yesterday. She observed him for a moment, watching his mouth open and close, open and close, but no words came out. Senior year and he was still as lost as ever. Quinn could see the truth so clearly now. Santana was right. _Everyone was right. _He was never going to make up his mind between her and Rachel. He loved them both for different reasons. His perfect woman would be a hybrid of the two of them. _Yeah, like that would ever happen._ It was time she stopped _hoping_. Hope was for suckers. She knew that now.

"Never mind," she spoke up, giving him a small smile. "I should never have brought that up again. Friends?"

She stuck out her hand for him to shake and the smile on her face became more and more forced as the seconds passed. He looked down at her offer uncertainly, not because he didn't _want _to be friends with her, but because by shaking her hand, he would be cementing their relationship status. _Friends._ That's what they were going to be for the upcoming year (and beyond). Finn wasn't sure how he felt about that.

"Friends," he echoed finally, giving her hand a good shake. "And as your _friend_, I suggest you go through the steps with music. I know I'm not exactly Mike Chang myself, but doing the routine to music really helps."

Quinn felt her heart drop when he took her hand firmly in his own. But _of course _he would shake her hand. (He seemed pretty serious about Rachel this time around.) What had she expected? The blonde sighed. She knew what she had _wanted_. That was for sure. She was hoping that he would admit to having some lingering feelings for her, that perhaps all he needed was a little time to figure things out. She would have given him that. _God, she was so pathetic._

"Oh yeah?" she challenged him, raising a perfectly arched eyebrow. "Well, I do have my music with me, so…"

She trailed off, walking over to the right side of the stage to start up the music. Then, she took centre stage, Finn stepping off to the side. Taking a deep breath, she went through the steps again, closing her eyes and letting the music dictate her movements. _One_, two, three, four, _five_, six, seven, eight, _two_, two, three, four, _five_, six, seven…_Damn it!_ She was on the floor again for the umpteenth time, except _this time_, Finn came rushing to her side.

"Are you okay, Quinn?" he asked, slight panic in his voice.

She looked up at him, trying her best not to smile. He was so adorable when he cared. Then, she remembered Rachel. It was enough to bring her back to reality.

"Yeah," she assured him, brushing his hand away.

(He had been examining her wrist, which _was _a little sore.)

Finn could tell that whatever emotions had passed between them mere seconds ago were gone now. In other words, the moment was _over_. He cleared his throat, standing up and stretching out a hand to help her up as well.

"How about we try this together?" he suggested, going over to start up the music again. "I could use more practice anyway."

"You don't say," Quinn teased him, letting herself forget the spark she had felt between them moments ago.

She stuck out her tongue at him and he returned the gesture, absolute delight on both of their faces. Everything always fell into place whenever they were together, no matter in what capacity. Things always felt _natural _between them. Things simply _flowed_. They kept their eyes on one another as they went through the steps. _One_, two, three, four, _five_, six…Quinn brought a hand up to muffle the giggles that were attempting to leave her mouth. Finn glared at her from where he was sitting on the floor, although his glare was a playful one.

"You know," he started, getting up and brushing himself off. "It's not very nice to laugh at people, Q."

She dissolved into a fit of giggles at his words, managing to inform him in between each one, "I know, but you make it so hard not to laugh at you sometimes, Finny."

"I'll give you something to laugh about," he threatened her, a smirk on his face and a mischievous twinkle in his eyes.

She stopped giggling, curiosity passing over her features instead. When he started to approach her, the curiosity turned into slight fear. She started to back away from him.

"Oh no," she warned him, her back hitting the piano. "You know how ticklish I am. Finn, do not even _think _abo-"

And then her contagious giggles returned as she desperately tried to get him to stop.

"Finn, stop this!" she shouted, starting to get cramps from laughing so much. "I…can't…_breathe_!"

He surrendered, bracing his hands on either side of her on top of the piano. He gazed into her eyes, the sound of their heavy breathing filling his ears. For a moment, he stood mesmerized by her - her hair, her skin, her eyes, her lips, her _everything_.

"So, I heard you're working for Burt now," Quinn spoke up abruptly, preventing the kiss that she knew was to come.

A kiss between her and Finn now would only complicate things and her life was complicated enough for the time being. As much as her heart wanted to focus on Finn, her mind reminded her of her fight for her daughter. _That _was her top priority right now.

"Yeah," Finn answered, stepping back from her, the air around him suddenly much cooler.

He was glad that Quinn had kept him from cheating, especially since the blonde was probably no longer interested in him anyway. He remembered what Santana had said that day. He could still hear her fiery voice ringing in his ears.

_Get the fuck over yourselves because I am going to make sure they spend the next two weeks getting over you._

Knowing Santana, she had succeeded and pulling Quinn back in would be completely selfish of him. Whatever lingering feelings he had for her, he desperately needed to get rid of because Rachel was his future. Finn was done being indecisive for once in his love life. He needed to make a decision and _stick _with his decision. He was choosing Rachel. Rachel. Rachel. _Rachel._

"You okay there?" Quinn questioned in concern, although she kept her distance from him.

She had promised Santana she would try to get over him like Puck had Rachel. (It seemed like he had anyway.)

"Yup," Finn responded, sticking his hands in his pockets and rocking back and forth on his heels. "Guess you were right about me being destined to stay in Lima, huh?"

The blonde frowned, walking over to him, the implications of his words _not _having sat well with her.

"Finn, you are capable of _anything_," she told him firmly, an adamant look in her eyes for him to believe her. "When I said you were destined to stay here in Lima, I never meant that you were incapable of doing anything outside of this small town. You do stupid things sometimes, but you're not a stupid person. I just _know _you. You'd be happy with that kind of lifestyle, spending a day at the shop and then going home to your wife and kids."

He nodded, a sad smile appearing on his face as the image of Quinn and their kids faded for an image of Rachel and him in New York, her unbelievably happy and him feeling completely lost (probably, _most likely_). One glance and Quinn knew _exactly _what he was thinking and as much as she hated to do this, she knew she had to be supportive.

"If what you want has changed Finn," she started, swallowing hard, the smile on her face now almost as melancholic as his. "I…believe in you, even though sometimes I might suggest the contrary."

"Thanks," he responded because he had a feeling that saying anything more than that would be disastrous. "By the way, you're always going to be Beth's mom, you know."

She looked at him in surprise and he laughed, raising an eyebrow at her.

"Like you said, I'm not a stupid person," he reminded her, giving her a wink.

He knew that Quinn was especially irritated about his relationship with Rachel only because she was stressing about Shelby's return and Beth.

"I'm going to get her back, you know," she said, an air of determination around her. "I _have _to."

He pulled her into a tight hug, stroking her hair with one hand, the other resting on her lower back.

"I know," he echoed against his better judgment. "And I'm going to be there with you _every _step of the way."

As 'Invincible' continued to play in the background, neither of them noticed that they had started to sway to the music. A few minutes later, the two were sure to plead temporary insanity, but in that moment, that was _exactly _how they felt in each other's arms (as they always did): _invincible_.


	4. Pot O' Gold

**A/N: **Ugh, do I even _want _to watch the next episode? Anyway, reviews would be lovely and I will be updating Dead Illusion tomorrow (hopefully) for those of you who also follow that story.

**Pot O' Gold**

* * *

><p>Quinn was sitting in the living room reading a magazine when she heard the doorbell ring.<p>

"Sweetheart," her mother called from the kitchen, taking the freshly baked batch of chocolate chip cookies out of the oven. "Can you get that please?"

"Yeah," she answered, although she got up reluctantly from the couch to do so.

She hated being interrupted when she was reading _People_, but she knew this was important to her mother. Her mom had decided to join a book club recently and she had volunteered their home for the meeting this week. Judy had spent all day slaving away in the kitchen, making treats and whatnot for the others. Quinn understood. She wanted to look good in front of her friends, both the new and the old. When she swung open the front door, however, her nonchalant expression became one of surprise. (She had forgotten to look through the peephole first. She might not have opened the door then.)

"Finn?" she clarified, even though he was standing right in front of her. "You read?" She quickly corrected herself when she realized how that sounded, "I mean, what are you doing here? You're not here for the book club meeting, are you?"

"Yes, Quinn," he responded, the smile on his lips teasing. "I _do _read as hard as that might be for you to believe, but no, I'm not here for the book club meeting. My mom is."

He looked behind him and Quinn followed his gaze, watching as Carole slammed the car door shut. The blonde actually felt kind of nervous seeing Carole again. It had been awhile. She wished her mother had told her that the two of them would be coming tonight. She looked down at what she was wearing. She was so _plain_.

Reading her mind, Finn assured her, "You look beautiful, like always."

She looked up at him, a smug expression replacing the one of uncertainty on her face, "I know."

He chuckled at her sudden confidence and she echoed his laugh with a giggle of her own.

"Am I interrupting something?" Carole questioned, walking up the front steps. Before either of them could say 'no', she wrapped her arms around the blonde and greeted her, "Hello Quinn. You look wonderful. How have you been?"

Quinn was certainly _surprised _by the warm gesture, but she did not hesitate to hug her back.

"So do you," she returned the compliment as she pulled back from her embrace. "I've been good. How about you?"

She left the front door open because she spotted two more cars pulling into the driveway as she started to lead Carole and Finn into the kitchen.

Her mother, who was setting food onto plates, turned her head to say hello.

"Carole!" she said, a little too enthusiastically. "I was beginning to think no one would show." Her gaze shifted onto Finn and she added, "You brought Finn along. How nice. Do you _read_, dear?" She paused for a moment before she corrected herself, much like Quinn had earlier, "I mean, did you read the book?"

Finn smiled politely at her, but glared at the younger blonde at his side, who had one hand clamped over her mouth to keep herself from giggling.

"Actually, I came to see Quinn," he confessed and Quinn was silenced the moment the words left his mouth. "I hope that's okay."

Judy and Carole shared a look with each other because weren't Finn and _Rachel _dating?

"Of course," she answered, Carole nodding in agreement from beside her.

A few other ladies came into the kitchen then and Finn and Quinn took that as their cues to leave.

"Have a nice meeting," they both exclaimed in unison, Finn following her as she went to close the front door.

"Actually, do you think we could talk somewhere else?" he wondered, not feeling particularly comfortable asking for Quinn's help with Rachel when his mother was nearby.

She stopped in her movements as a curios look came to pass over her face.

"Sure," she said because could she really say no? "I need to run to the supermarket anyway."

Before he could ask her why, she signaled for him to give her a minute with her index finger, running up to her room to grab her purse. She double checked the list pinned to her bulletin board before she left her room, heading downstairs again. She only had the hot sauce left on her list just as she had remembered. _Perfect._ When she had first told Puck about the list, he had _completely _freaked out on her, but with the knowledge that Beth could be theirs again, permanently, he had ultimately relented.

"So, _why _do you have to run to the supermarket exactly?" Finn questioned as Quinn left a note for their moms on the small table next to the front door.

Quinn rolled her eyes at him and ignored his question. Puck had freaked out when he had found out about her plan, but she knew that that would be _nothing _compared to how Finn would react if he knew. It was better that she kept any and all plans involving Beth between her and Puck alone.

"I didn't ask you why we had to talk elsewhere, did I?" she shot back and he sighed, rolling _his _eyes at _her _this time.

"I didn't want to ask you for help with Rachel with my mom under the same roof," he explained, pushing his hair back with one hand. "That would have made things even _more _awkward."

"Finn, asking your ex-girlfriend for help with your current girlfriend when you know that said ex-girlfriend probably still has feelings for you? It doesn't _get _much more awkward than that," she pointed out to him, attempting to keep the bitterness out of her voice. "So, adding your mom into the mix wouldn't have been _that _big of a deal really."

…_when you know that said ex-girlfriend probably still has feelings for you?_ His heart started to beat really fast then. Looking at Quinn, he realized that she probably hadn't even realized she had said what she had said. (Clearly, her words were also messing with his head.)

"I'm not _that _insensitive," he insisted, bumping her shoulder lightly with his as they continued walking toward the supermarket. "I'm not asking for relationship advice."

He appreciated that Quinn had been putting in an effort to be _just friends _with him. _Sure_, several times over the last week, either he or she had slipped up, had almost kissed the other, but each time, nothing had _actually _happened, so no harm done, right?

(He'd like to think so.)

"Well, I didn't think you'd be _that _stupid," she said, bumping his shoulder with hers in return. "Remember the golden rule, Finn. You don't mention your relationship with Rachel in front of me, _ever _and I let you keep your balls."

"Such a lady," he muttered under his breath, the corner of his lips tugged up into the tiniest of smiles.

"Right," she retorted, quickening her pace as they neared their destination. "Because you're _always _the perfect gentleman. Why ask me for help with Rachel anyway, relationship related or otherwise? Can't you like talk to Puck or something?"

"_Are you kidding me?_" Finn exclaimed, looking at her incredulously. "The guy wants to sock me in the jaw whenever I so much as _mention _Rachel in front of him."

Quinn laughed, agreeing with him, "Yeah, true. Okay, so what's up then?"

"Well, she keeps pestering me about whether I'm going to vote for her or Kurt for class president," he revealed as Quinn made a beeline for the aisle with the hot sauces. "Who do _you _think I should vote for?"

"_Seriously?_" Quinn murmured as she looked at the various hot sauce options available to her. "_That's_ what you needed my help with?" She took her attention away from the task at hand for the moment to advise him, "Vote for Rachel."

She noticed the immediate hesitation on his face and she smiled, knowing full well that he had already known who he was going to vote for before he came to her. She was simply helping him realize that.

"You want to vote for Kurt, but you don't want to hurt precious Rachel Berry's feelings," Quinn observed, reading his mind. "It's understandable."

He stood still for a moment. It still amazed him sometimes how well this girl knew him.

"Yeah, okay," he confessed, shoving his hands into his pockets. "I want to vote for Kurt. I just feel like he _actually _wants to make a difference at McKinley whereas Rachel's only running because being class president would look good on her resume for NYADA or Julliard or NYU or wherever she intends on applying to."

"Just be honest and tell her you're going to vote for Kurt the next time she asks," Quinn suggested, finally picking out a bottle of hot sauce. "She'll get over it."

"I just _hate _that she put me in this position," Finn groaned, not even noticing what Quinn was buying.

(_Had _he noticed, he would be asking her why because he knew Quinn didn't even really like that stuff.)

"Why?" she wondered, defending Rachel Berry probably for the first time in her life. "There's nothing wrong with wanting to be somebody. Running against her best friend is sort of a bitch move, but I get why she did it. It's easy to fade away in a small town like Lima. It's _easy _to be nobody."

Finn frowned. He'd never thought about it that way, but right now, he was more concerned about Quinn. He could tell that she had the same fear that she claimed Rachel had.

"You're always going to be somebody to me for what it's worth," he whispered and when she locked her eyes on his, he knew this was another one of those moments.

She cleared her throat, tearing her eyes away from him as she paid the cashier.

"Thanks," she simply whispered back, since kissing him wasn't exactly an option.

(She convinced herself that the flicker of disappointment in his eyes had merely been a figment of her imagination. He was _relieved _or at least that was what he was supposed to be.)

"Is that you and Drizzle?" he questioned, spying the photo in her wallet.

Quinn smiled, glad for the subject change. (She was aware that Beth would always be Drizzle to him.) She strode out of the supermarket, Finn close at her heels.

"Here, you can have it," she said, handing him the photo. "I've got more at home."

"Thanks," he echoed, taking the photo from her before he shared, "You don't need Beth to _be _somebody, Quinn. You're somebody all on your own. Besides, don't you think planting hot sauce at Ms. Corcoran's place is a _little _over the top? She's a good mother."

He chuckled at the shocked look on her face, pulling her into a side hug as they headed back toward her house.

"I'm not as dumb as I look," he enlightened her. "Look Quinn…I think what you're planning is borderline crazy and I certainly don't agree with it, but I promised to be there for you every step of the way, so I will be." Wanting to prove his support, he added, "I'll even help you call child services."

"You're such a goof," she noted, rolling her eyes as she linked her arm through his.

(She had no intention of dropping her plan of course.)

He looked down at where their arms were linked together and his heart skipped a beat.

(He had no intention of stopping her.)

* * *

><p>The next day, Rachel went over to Finn's house to work on some more posters for her campaign. Her dads were having a few friends over and Kurt was over at Blaine's probably doing the same thing. At some point, she knocked his wallet onto the floor when she was reaching for a bottle of glitter. She never asked him why he had a picture of Quinn and Beth in there or why he had written 'Lucy and Drizzle' instead on the back because deep down, she already knew the answer and that for her was heartbreaking enough. Did she really need to hear <em>him <em>say it?


	5. The First Time

**A/N:** Longer chapter than usual, but I had so many scenes floating around in my head that were begging to be written. Warning! Angst up ahead, but I promise that happier times are to come. I have plans for these two!

**The First Time**

* * *

><p>Quinn bit back a giggle as Santana defaced yet another one of Rachel's posters. (She looked <em>way <em>better with a mustache in her opinion.) What the two of them were doing was immature, sure, but the blonde needed to express her displeasure with the brunette somehow and Santana was more than happy to help.

"I call the next one," Quinn said, taking the black permanent marker from her hand enthusiastically as the two of them rounded the corner.

"Go for a hairy mole this time," Santana urged her, pushing her forward toward an unmarked poster, a smirk on her lips.

Quinn mirrored her smirk in agreement, but before she could uncap the marker, she spotted Finn nearby, leaning against her locker. She stood frozen in place as he turned his head and looked straight at her.

"_Shit_," she sounded, quickly tossing the marker into her purse to hide the evidence.

Santana was thrown off by the sudden motion. She looked away from the poster and followed her gaze. Why did she look so freaking guilty? _Oh._

"Fucking Hudson," the Latina muttered under her breath as Quinn headed toward her locker, cheeks flushed with embarrassment. "_Such _a killjoy."

"Hey Quinn. Hey Santana," he greeted them, a suspicious look in his eyes. "What are you two up to?"

"Defacing your girlfriend's campaign posters," Santana shared before Quinn could tell him some pathetic lie. "You should convince her to grow a mustache, Finny D. I might be able to look at her for a good minute or two that way without wanting to claw my eyes out."

Before Finn could tell her where she could shove her suggestion, the Latina was off, giving Quinn a small wave goodbye. He watched her leave, glad to see her go, before turning back to face the girl he had been waiting for again.

"What do you have to say for yourself?" he asked her, a disappointed look on his face as he unfolded one of the damaged posters he had removed earlier for her to see.

Quinn stifled a laugh as she entered her locker combination and swung open the metal door. Santana had given Rachel fangs on that one.

She took her time, shuffling around in her locker, before she answered him, "Finn, I said I would try to be friends with _you_, not her."

He sighed in defeat at her response, dragging a hand over his face.

"Okay, fine," he acknowledged before wondering, "Could you and Santana please stop though? I helped design these posters, you know. I put a lot of work into them."

She closed her locker door abruptly and looked at him, not having considered that at all.

"Oh, well, yeah, I guess," she said, offering him a small smile in apology. "It _was_ kind of immature I suppose."

"_Kind of?_" he teased her as he started to walk her to her next class.

"Leave me my pride, Hudson," she demanded, turning up her nose as she quickened her pace. "What were you doing at my locker anyway? Don't tell me you were waiting there _just _so you could walk me to class."

"Would that be so hard to believe?" he questioned as he caught up with her. When she scoffed in lieu of an actual answer, he enlightened her, "Okay, well, I have some good news. You know the game Friday night? Well, a recruiter from Ohio State's coming to watch us play. They're looking for a new quarterback."

She paused in her steps and whirled around to face him. Her eyes were wide with surprise and there was a megawatt smile on her face.

"_Finn, that's amazing!_" she shouted, launching herself into his arms without warning and he laughed, picking her up and twirling her around once before setting her down on the floor again.

He was already pumped from hearing the news from Coach Beiste earlier today, but seeing Quinn so happy for him put him in an _unbelievably _good mood.

"I know," he said, still holding onto her hands. "I'm pretty psyched…and a little nervous, but mostly psyched."

Quinn looked down at where her hands were in his, his thumbs drawing lazy circles on her soft skin. Her heart fluttered for a moment before she brought herself back to reality, an uncomfortable cough sounding from the hollows of her throat. She withdrew her hands from his, letting her arms fall to her sides. When she dared to look up at him again, she noticed that his cheeks were flushed with embarrassment much like hers had been earlier. _He was so adorable._

"Um, so, have you told Rachel yet?" Quinn asked, trying to get them back to a safer place. She corrected herself before he could even answer her, "Wait, no. _Of course _you have. I'll bet she was pretty upset, huh?"

"Actually, you were the first person I thought of telling after Coach Beiste broke the news to us this morning," he confessed and the expression on her face told him that she had the exact same question he had.

_Why?_

(_Please_, they both knew why.)

"Well, I'm flattered," she said instead, the unspoken question lingering between them.

He gave her a curt nod, the corner of his lips tugging up into a lopsided smile. He was glad she had saved them from entering into dangerous territory again.

"I guess I'll see you around then?" he confirmed as she took a step into the classroom.

It was her turn to nod.

"Catch you later, quarterback," she teased him, throwing him a wink before taking her seat at the back of the class.

As he walked away, Finn brought a hand up to his chest to make sure his heart was still beating because he was pretty sure Quinn Fabray had just killed him.

* * *

><p>"Yo, Fabray," Puck said as he approached her, Santana and Brittany close on his heels. "Did you hear about Finn and Rachel?"<p>

"What about them?" she questioned, pursing her lips in thought as she tried to remember what she might have heard about them earlier.

"He's fucking her," Santana informed her, getting straight to the point. "Well, he's _going _to anyway."

"I thought we'd agreed that I'd do the talking?" Puck clarified, turning his head to glare at the Latina for her outburst. "I was _going _to break it to her lightly."

"Look," Brittany spoke up, looking back and forth between the two of them. "I know I'm not the sharpest crayon in the box, but you can't break news like that to _anyone _lightly."

Quinn had zoned out by now. She dug her nails into the palm of her hands almost deep enough to pierce the flesh. He was going to have _sex _with her? She knew she had no right to be upset. The two of them were dating after all, but she _was_. She wanted to cry. She wanted to throw things. She wanted to crawl into a hole and _die_. It was bad enough that Finn had slept with one of her best friends, but _Rachel_? Him sleeping with Rachel was one thing the blond could _not _stomach, no matter how hard she tried.

"So, what are we going to do?" Puck wondered, the panic in his voice breaking her out of her daze.

"I say we kidnap Rachel and ship her off the Mexico or something," Santana suggested and Brittany shook her head in disagreement from beside her.

"No way!" he shouted as Brittany offered a more mature alternative, glancing at Puck and placing her hand lightly on Quinn's arm, "I know the two of you are unbelievably hurt right now, but look where scheming brought us over the summer, absolutely _nowhere_. Having Finn and Rachel for friends is better than nothing, right? I'm not asking you guys to be happy for them, but don't sabotage their first time. _Please?_"

No one spoke for a long while, each lost in their own thoughts.

Finally, Quinn let out the deep breath she had been holding and conceded, forcing a smile, "Fine. You're right. I'll just grin and bear it even though I'm dying on the inside."

Her lips quivered slightly at the end and Santana and Brittany stepped forward instantly to hug her. Puck stood back, teeth clenched, unable to just grin and bear it like Quinn apparently could.

"Puck…" she trailed off when she stepped back from the embrace and looked at him, not knowing quite where to start.

"_Don't_, Quinn," he warned her, taking a step back from the group. "I'm not as good at _pretending _as you are, okay? Do you _know _how insensitive that little prick was? _Hmmm? _Asking me what brand of condom he should buy for the occasion? I should have punched him in the face, but I didn't, so I think I've done my fair share of just grinning and bearing it, don't you?"

Normally, Quinn would have sniped at him for calling Finn a 'little prick', except if what Puck was saying was true, then yeah, he kind of was.

"Yes, I do," she assured him, wanting him to know she was on his side here. "Bu-"

"Little prick at twelve o'clock," Santana hissed in warning, interrupting her friend.

Puck didn't bother looking in that direction, mumbling a quick goodbye to the group instead before heading off in the other direction. The girls shared a look with each other before silently deciding that Santana and Brittany should probably follow him lest he do something stupid. Quinn assured them telepathically that she would be fine on her own. She wasn't so sure, however, when she heard him say her name from behind her.

"Quinn," he whispered, careful to keep some distance between them. "I wanted to tell you myself. _I swear._"

She took a moment to compose herself before turning around to address him.

"Why?" she asked him, her tone overly cheerful. "What happens between you and Rachel's none of my business."

He reached out for her, but she stepped back from him. As far as she was concerned, she _never _wanted him to touch her again. He got that vibe from her and a feeling of dread washed over him, but things had been set into motion already and he didn't know how to stop them. He wasn't even sure whether or not he _wanted _them to. _Story of his life._

"Right, I'll go then," he stuttered, starting to retreat, not knowing how or whether it was even possible to make this okay for her.

Reading his mind, she answered his silent question, "It's not. _Nothing _about this is okay."

And then, she was gone and he? Well, he just wanted to crawl into a hole and die.

* * *

><p>"Are we <em>actually <em>going to the club meeting she called?" Santana questioned, even though the three of them were already on their way.

"_Yes_," Quinn answered her for the millionth time. "We're _going_. I promised not to sabotage their first time, but Rachel's asking for my opinion and I plan on giving it to her."

"I don't understand," Brittany said, pursing her lips in thought.

"You don't have to," Santana assured her, sharing a look of understanding with Quinn. "If Rachel decides to hold off sex with T-Rex all on her own…"

"…then it's not really my fault, now is it?" the blonde finished as they strolled into the room, where Tina and Rachel were already waiting for them.

She seated herself on one of the desks, pretending that everything Rachel was saying was news to her.

_Quinn swung open the door, unable to understand what Finn was doing here so late._

"_What do you want?" she asked him, taking in his unkempt appearance. "I'm about to go to bed."_

"_She wanted to have sex with me so she could be sexually awakened like Maria!" he blurted out, not having known who else to talk to, since he hadn't been able to get a hold of Kurt. "I mean, I know she loves me, but God! Can you believe her?"_

"_Yes," Quinn hissed at him. "I can. The only thing I can't believe is you at the moment. I told you. What happens between you and Rachel is between you and Rachel. It's none of my goddamn business."_

_He stepped back as if he'd been slapped._

"_I'm sorry," he said, bringing a hand up to smack himself on the forehead. "I just really needed someone to talk to and I couldn't get a hold of Kurt and…You're right. I shouldn't be here. I was being selfish. I am being selfish. Um, have a good night, Quinn."_

_He started to walk back to his car and Quinn found herself hesitate in closing the door behind him. She was sorry he got hurt, but she was hurting too, so much. Didn't he see that?_

"_Sweetheart? Who was at the door?" her mother questioned from the top of the stairs._

"_No one," she answered, the tiniest of smiles appearing on her face because even though Finn had been an insensitive ass to show up here, at least she now knew that nothing had happened._

_Judy shrugged, too tired to even bother pestering her daughter any further on the matter. Quinn followed her mother's lead and headed off to her room. Falling back onto the bed, she sent a text to Puck._

_**-text- Nothing happened!**_

_The text he sent back wasn't one she had expected._

_**-text- I know. She told me.**_

_**-text- You don't sound happy.**_

_**-text- Because I'm not. Nothing's happened…yet. Capiche?**_

_Unfortunately, she did._

The memory faded and right on cue, Quinn asked Rachel, "You want my advice? _Just wait._"

* * *

><p>"She's <em>really <em>starting to get on my nerves," Quinn announced, several strides away from the classroom. "I mean, she's calling _another _meeting?"

Santana stayed silent from beside her because she had an idea what Rachel was calling the meeting for. Quinn, however, had none, so she was shocked when the brunette started to share the details of her first time with Finn with the rest of them. While Brittany and Tina hung onto her every word, Quinn could only feel herself becoming more and more outraged and beside her, Santana was also feeling outraged on her behalf.

"Un-freaking-_believable_!" Quinn finally shouted, storming out of the room and the Latina rushed to slam the door behind her, so that Rachel couldn't run after her.

She knew the blonde was going to go and search Finn out to give him a piece of her mind and she _should_. Quinn stormed into the boys' locker room moments later where she knew he would be. She hadn't counted on Puck being there as well, but she didn't give a damn about his presence or anyone else's right now.

"Quinn, what are you doing in here?" Finn questioned, shocked to see her, but he looked scared once he figured out she was furious with him. "What did I do?"

"What am I to you?" she shouted and Puck immediately went to guard the door.

He'd worked out to the point of exhaustion last night to release his frustrations. This was Quinn's method and he knew how much she needed it. He promised himself that if things got bad, he'd get involved and drag her away from here, even kicking and screaming.

"_What?_" Finn echoed, not really understanding her question, but he thought he had an idea about why she was here now. "Is this about me sealing the deal wi-"

"_I don't give a shit about that anymore!_" she hissed, taking another step toward him. "Rachel called another club meeting, you know. She told _everyone _about your magical night together, _including _the moments leading up to it. _She _tells you that not being recruited by OSU isn't the end of the world, that you _don't _suck, that you're _special _and suddenly, she's some kind of _goddess_? Well, _fuck you_, Finn. I've been telling you that since _forever_, so what? Do my words not count for anything? Are they not _good _enough for you because I'm not _Rachel fucking Berry_!"

"Quinn, I…" Finn started, wanting to explain himself to her.

He had actually been on his way to see her when Rachel had showed up on his doorstep. Too bad he'd ended up thinking with his penis instead of with his head. The force of the slap that came next echoed off every surface of the room and Finn brought a hand up to his cheek, which stung like a bitch at the moment. The room fell silent after that, Finn staring at her, her staring at him, and Puck staring openmouthed at them both.

"Let's go," Quinn finally announced, breaking the silence and as much as he wanted to, Finn didn't chase after her because the look in her eyes had been clear.

He was dead to her, _really _dead to her, and only in that moment did he realize _exactly _how much he needed her.

_Too little, too late, Hudson._


	6. Mash Off

**A/N:** Thank you for all your lovely reviews on the last chapter. I really don't deserve some of the praise you guys so willingly give me.

**Mash Off**

* * *

><p>Once Will and Shelby had dismissed them, Finn ran to catch up with Quinn, who had made a stealth exit from the auditorium. Santana was being especially mean to him today and he had an idea why (or at least he thought he did).<p>

"Quinn!" he kept shouting from behind her as he followed her down the hallway, but she ignored his calls.

He picked up his pace and when he finally reached her, he grabbed her wrist to get her attention.

"Let go of me, Finn," she spat as she whirled around to face him, wrenching her wrist from his grasp. "You do _not _get to touch me."

He scoffed, unable to believe that he was right. The pure hatred in her eyes told him he was.

"You know, Quinn," he started, a disappointed look on his face. "I thought you were better than this."

She looked at him in surprise for a moment. Was he seriously making this about _her_?

"Were you expecting me to _forgive _you, Hudson?" she asked him, a sarcastic laugh leaving her lips. "Not a chance. Not this time."

"No, but telling Santana to make fun of my weight constantly to get back at me?" he accused her, boring his eyes into hers. "That's low, even for _you_."

"What the _hell _are you even talking about?" she retorted, the expression on her face one of anger and now, confusion as well.

But then, she caught on to what he was suggesting and she took a shaky step back from him in response. _He might as well have slapped her._

"You think I _asked _Santana to make those mean comments?" Quinn clarified, attempting to keep her voice steady. "_For revenge?_ Is _that _what you think of me?"

Her reaction was not one that Finn had expected. She looked _hurt_. God, what had he been thinking? No matter how pissed off she was at him, Quinn would _never _go there. He should know that. She knew how insecure he was about his weight.

"I'm sorry, Quinn," he apologized immediately, mentally kicking himself for making such a preposterous accusation. "I don't know what I was thinking. I know you wouldn't-"

"Is _that _why you accused me then?" she challenged him, interrupting his 'too little too late' apology. "Because you _knew _I wouldn't do something like that?"

He opened his mouth to say something, _anything_, but no words came out. Instead, he looked down at his shoes in shame.

"You're full of shit," she hissed when he said nothing, turning on her heels and continuing down the hallway. "You and Rachel deserve each other."

Finn let out a frustrated groan the moment she disappeared from his view. There was 'idiot' and 'colossal idiot' and he was pretty sure he had _just _crossed that line.

* * *

><p>"Santana, lay off Finn, okay?" Quinn told her as she took the seat next to her, tossing her bag carelessly to the side.<p>

There were still ten minutes until class started and the blonde wanted to make her sentiments known to the Latina.

"He accuses you of _asking _me to be unusually mean to him and you _still _want me to cut him some slack?" Santana questioned in disbelief, twirling a strand of hair around her finger. "Are you _insane_, Fabray?"

Even Brittany, who was seated on the other side of her, looked shocked. Quinn sighed, the hurt she had felt earlier upon hearing his accusation rising to the surface again.

"Make fun of him for something else then," she suggested, silently wondering why she was doing this too. "He's really sensitive about his weight, okay? Besides, he's nowhere _near _fat, San, and you know it."

Santana rolled her eyes at the blonde. Quinn would always look out for him no matter what. It was sort of _cute _she guessed, but in her opinion, the blonde deserved _so _much better than blubber boy.

"Look, Quinn," Santana started, wanting to be honest with her. "Normally, I would stop because you asked me to, but he put dodgeball on the table. _Dodgeball._"

Her eyes widened at the mention of dodgeball. _So, things had gotten serious._ Quinn knew there was no use in asking Santana to back off now. Finn had probably only made things worse by challenging the Latina to a game of dodgeball. Did he have some sort of death wish? _Honestly!_

"Noted," Quinn simply said in response, tapping her pencil against her notebook as she waited for class to start.

"You know," Santana suggested, slipping into the role of the devil for a moment. "A dodge ball game would be the _perfect _opportunity for you to release some of that anger you still have bottled up inside you."

"I _have _no anger," Quinn lied, avoiding her knowing gaze.

"Who are you kidding, Q?" she scoffed as she rested her elbow on the table and propped her head up with her hand. "I heard the slap was epic, but you and I both know you still have a lot of anger left in you. Not one of us blames you for being angry either. I would've had him buried six feet under by now."

"You're right," the blonde informed her, but the victorious smirk on her face disappeared when she continued, "But I'm not going to do what you're suggesting I do. I'm better than that."

Santana was about to put her skills of persuasion to the test, but the teacher interrupted her. Class was starting.

"Suit yourself," she finished with a shrug instead, starting to take notes.

As Quinn turned to face the board to do the same, she thought to herself, "Yeah, she _was _better than that, but did she _want _to be? _Maybe not._"

The corner of her lips tugged up into a smirk as her eyes locked with Santana's. Maybe she was on board with her idea after all.

_Game on, Hudson._

* * *

><p>Finn glanced at Quinn as he tossed another dodgeball into the bin. She had volunteered to stay behind and help him clean up, although he had no idea <em>why<em>.

"Okay, accusing you twice in one day's probably not a smart idea, but I could have _sworn _you kept throwing dodgeballs at me at one point and _not _by accident either," he spoke up, pausing in his movements as he waited expectantly for a response.

Again, her response was not one he had expected.

"Oh, you're supposed to throw them at the people on the _opposing _team?" she asked him, feigning innocence. "I had _no _idea! I'm _so _sorry!"

She tried to keep her innocent act up, but a tiny smile broke onto her face. She had to admit that Santana had been right. Hitting Finn with those big, red rubber balls had been excellent therapy. She wasn't all that upset with him anymore. In fact, she had felt kind of _bad _about pelting him with dodgeballs, which was why she had offered to stay behind and help him clean up.

"Like hell you are," he echoed, grabbing a ball from the bin and throwing it at her.

Quinn watched as the ball bounced off her shoulder onto the floor. The two of them watched as the ball rolled away into a corner of the gym.

"Oh, it's _on_," Quinn declared and the look of determination in her eyes scared him a little.

She grabbed a ball from the bin and whipped it at him. He returned the gesture and soon, they were having an all out dodgeball fight of their own.

"Okay, stop! _Stop!_ Truce!" Finn shouted, waving his arms around in surrender.

Quinn laughed as she continued her relentless attack on him. It was clear that she had no intention of stopping.

"That's it," he said, charging toward her now.

She responded by running away from him, taunting him all the while. He wrapped his arms around her from behind the first chance he got, pinning her arms to her sides and forcing her to drop the ball she had in her hands. He had been running a little too fast, however, and sort of crashed into her, sending the two of them toppling onto the ground.

"Let go of me!" she protested in between giggles, squirming to get out of his grasp, any animosity she had had toward him earlier forgotten.

He let go of her eventually, unable to stop laughing himself.

"Good game," he whispered in between hitched breaths once both of them had finally settled down, turning his head to the side to look at her.

"Yeah," she agreed just as breathlessly, turning her head to the side to meet his gaze.

They lay there smiling at each other for a moment before Finn's face grew serious and he said, "I'm sorry, Quinn, about…everything. _Really._ I never meant to hurt you."

She looked away from him immediately and he let out a defeated sigh, turning his head away from her as well. He didn't expect her to forgive him, but he had wanted her to know how sorry he was at the very least. Tearing her eyes away from the ceiling, she looked at him again, taking his hand in hers.

She gave it a light squeeze as she told him, "I know, but you did anyway."

There was a moment of silence before she finally let go of his hand and sat up. She was about push herself up into a standing position when Finn panicked, not wanting to let her go. He reached out to grab her wrist and she lost her balance, falling backwards and somehow landing on top of him, their faces less than an inch apart.

"What are you doing?" she whispered, her heart pounding against her rib cage and she could feel his pounding against his own.

"I don't know," he murmured back in all honesty, tightening his grip on her.

She pressed her lips to his in response. She knew how wrong this was, but she needed this. She _needed _to be reminded that he was done with her. Unlike what she had expected, however, Finn didn't push her way. Instead, he reciprocated the kiss, prodding her mouth open with his tongue. Arching herself into him as he flipped them around, she let out a soft moan, his tongue running across the roof of her mouth. Clearly, both of them had lost their minds, but neither one of them seemed to care. Quinn stood corrected though when he pulled away from her abruptly and the scared look on his face brought her back to reality. _He was done with her._ She pushed him off of her and stood up, making a scene of brushing herself off.

"You don't have to look so scared, Finn," she told him, trying to hide the hurt in her voice. "I'm not going to tell Rachel about this little _mistake_."

Finn flinched at the venomous way she had spat out the word 'mistake'. He stood up himself and opened his mouth to correct her.

"Quinn, I'm not sc-" he started, but she cut him off and exclaimed, "It's cool, Finn. _Really._ It was just another one of those moments where you were thinking with your penis again. That's all. No big deal."

She was gone before he could utter another word. He hadn't been scared that Rachel might find out about what had happened between them. _Hell!_ He didn't even _regret _what had happened just now on the gym floor. He'd been scared because unlike what Quinn had suggested, for the first time in a long time, he had been thinking with his _heart _and that? Yeah, _that _sort of scared him shitless.


	7. I Kissed A Girl

**A/N:** I swear these chapters get harder and harder to write. I have the very last chapter so clear in my mind and things that happen on the show keep messing with that, which frustrates me.

**I Kissed A Girl**

* * *

><p>As Finn turned into the familiar street, he started to panic and the urge to turn the car around and go back the way he came grew stronger. His mind had mostly been on Santana all week, giving little thought to Quinn. A part of him had been <em>glad <em>to keep his mind off of her because whenever his mind _did _drift off to the blonde, the heated encounter they had had on the gym floor was never far behind. He pressed his lips together in an attempt to suppress the tingling he felt, but to no avail. Now that Santana was (relatively speaking) okay, all he could think about was _her_. He knew he had to see her, to straighten things out. Otherwise, he was going to go mad. _Yes, he was determined to settle things with her tonight._ He kept his foot on the gas pedal, a newfound confidence in his eyes. When her driveway came into view, however, his confidence all but disappeared and Finn wanted to leave for a very different reason. What was Puck's truck doing in her driveway?

"_Finny D!" Puck called from behind him, jogging up to his side. "We need to talk, man."_

"_Now?" he questioned as he continued to walk, although he slowed down his pace. "I have to meet up with Rachel. You know how she feels about punctuality."_

_Puck nodded his head in complete understanding, but informed him anyway, "It's about Quinn."_

_He stopped in his tracks immediately upon hearing her name. Well, now he had his attention. He cocked his head toward an empty classroom nearby, signaling for Puck to follow him in._

"_What happened? Is she okay?" Finn asked him once they were inside, obvious concern in his voice._

_He sat down on top of one of the tables and Puck did the same directly across from him._

"_If only you cared half as much about Berry," Puck muttered under his breath and Finn glared at him in an instant, having caught his every word._

"_I care about Rachel," he stressed, clenching and unclenching his fists, having been offended by his not-so-subtle jab. "Don't even go there, man."_

"_Yeah, okay, whatever," Puck agreed, getting up to close the door so that they could have some privacy. "This is about Quinn anyway, not Rachel. Look, she needs help, okay?"_

_Finn noticeably tensed at his words._

"_I will admit that her determination to get Beth back is a little…unnerving, but to say that she needs help? That's a little extreme," he observed, jumping to Quinn's defense._

"_Forget that," Puck scoffed, rolling his eyes. "She just asked me to go over to her house on Friday night and have sex with her because her mom's on some Jesus cruise."_

_Jealousy coursed through his blood then in reaction to the newfound information. He had an inkling that Quinn had propositioned Puck knowing that word would get back to him eventually, whether from Puck or from someone else. It was because he had pushed her away from him. She was trying to make him jealous. Well, her little plan was working. Finn made a mental note to leave a 'Congratulations' note in her locker and he was only half-joking too._

"_What did you say?" Finn bit out, trying not to sound jealous but failing horribly._

"_I'm in love with Ra-" Puck started to assure him, but promptly cut himself off. "Quinn's a friend, okay? Just a friend, man, so of course I rejected her. I could have been a little less harsh with my rejection I suppose, but I knew I had to be ruthless to get through to her."_

_Finn didn't even flinch when he realized that Puck was about to say that he was in love with his girlfriend. Who was he to talk, especially since he was still sort of kind of in love with Quinn?_

"_What did you say?" he repeated, sounding angry instead of jealous this time._

_If Puck had really hurt her, Finn was going to give him a black eye, maybe two depending on his mood._

"_That I'd rather raw dog a beehive than her?" Puck answered him, a look of guilt passing over his face. "Hey, don't judge me, okay? You didn't see the look in her eyes. She's gone nuts, Hudson! I needed to be mean to get through to her!"_

_After a moment of consideration, Finn put a hand on his friend's shoulder to let him know he understood. He dragged the same hand over his face seconds later, letting out a sigh._

"_You shouldn't have said that to her," Finn spoke up after awhile, filling Puck in on what had happened at the gym the other day._

_After he had sort of kind of rejected her, being rejected by another guy so soon afterward would certainly push her over the edge._

"_You cheated on Berry?" Puck shouted (because that was the only thing that he got from Finn's rambling), fury in his eyes. "Not cool, dude."_

"_You don't think I know that?" he yelled in return, throwing his hands up into the air. "God, all of this is so screwed up!"_

_For whatever reason, Puck took a step back, his hands no longer balled up into tight fists. Who was he to talk, especially after all that Shelby crap? Rachel would never speak to him again if she knew._

"_Look, I won't tell Rachel about the kiss," he promised, picking his backpack up off the floor and moving toward the door. "Just…fix Quinn. I think you're the only one who can."_

_Finn shook his head from behind him and said, "I can't. I want to, but I can't. I only ever seem to make things worse when it comes to her."_

_Puck heard him, but said nothing, walking out of the room and closing the door behind him. Sadly, he understood. He sent a quick text to Quinn to let her know that he'd be there on Friday. If Finn refused to help her, he'd have to at least give it a shot._

Finn sat frozen in his car for a moment, unsure of what to do. Had Puck changed his mind and taken her up on her offer? Had Quinn really made good on it? The very idea made his stomach turn. He parked his car next to Puck's and got out, slamming the door behind him. Either way, he intended to find out for himself. He marched up the front steps, but as he raised his hand to ring the doorbell, Puck stepped outside.

"The _hell _are you doing here, man?" Puck questioned when he saw him, pushing him back down the stairs. "Thought you said you couldn't help her."

"I'm guessing _you _did though," Finn sneered, the green-eyed monster reeling its ugly head again.

Puck grabbed him by the collar of his shirt in response and shoved him up against the brick wall.

"Do you hear yourself right now, Hudson?" Puck spat, keeping his death grip on him. "You do _not _get to talk about her like that. You don't know how broken she is."

Finn pushed him away, swearing under his breath. _God, his right shoulder hurt like a bitch right now._

"Did you sleep with her?" he asked him calmly, rolling his hurt shoulder. "Just tell me the truth."

Puck pondered for a moment before deciding not to mess with his pretty little head.

"_No_, we didn't," he responded, turning his back on him and heading for his truck. He paused with his hand on the door handle, looked back, and added, "Just to be clear though. Quinn can do whatever the hell she wants. You chose _Rachel_, remember?"

"Is she okay now then?" Finn murmured, knowing that he was right, but somehow still relieved that she hadn't slept with him.

"I think so," Puck answered before climbing into his truck and driving off. "She just wants to feel…_wanted_, but then again, who doesn't, right?"

Once his car disappeared into the distance, Finn walked up the front steps again. Puck thought she was okay, but he would be the judge of that. He lifted his hand and rang the doorbell, vowing not to leave until she answered the door.

* * *

><p>Quinn had witnessed the entire exchange from her bedroom window. She had no idea what they had been saying of course, but she had a gut feeling not to let Finn Hudson into her house. She was still an emotional mess even after Puck had cuddled with her. She didn't feel like seeing anyone, least of all <em>him<em>. Quinn no longer felt like she had a grasp on her life. She was up, down, around, _all over the freaking place_. What was wrong with her? Maybe Puck was right. She _had _gone nuts. She let out a sigh of relief when he stopped ringing her doorbell, falling back onto her bed in clear exhaustion. The knocking on her window ten minutes later, however, startled her. She sat up and marched over to open the window. _Oh, he was going to get an earful from her alright!_

"What the _hell _do you think you're doing?" she hissed, practically dragging him into her room.

"You wouldn't answer the door," he explained and she retorted at once, "Did it ever occur to you that I didn't _want _to?"

He ignored her, taking a step forward and wiping away the tear stains on her cheeks with his thumbs.

"You've been crying," he noted and before she could protest, he pulled her into his arms, resting his chin on top of her head. "God, I'm so sorry I haven't been there for you like I promised. I got so caught up in helping Sant-"

She leaned back, putting a finger to his lips to shut him up. Once he was silent, she wriggled out of his arms, pushing him away from her.

"How could you have been when you've been running away from me ever since…?" she trailed off, knowing that he knew _exactly _which incident she was referring to.

He remained silent.

"Right," she corrected herself, a scoff teetering on her lips. "Not running away from _me_, but rather from your feelings _for _me, correct?"

He spoke up then.

"Quinn," he murmured, the warning tone of his voice unmistakable.

"Admit it," she demanded, sitting down on her bed and crossing her arms over her chest defensively. "You _wanted _to kiss me. Don't make it seem like I _forced _myself on you or something, Finn, because the way you've been avoiding me? It seems like I did."

"I'm serious about making it work with Rachel this time," Finn told her instead, staring into her eyes. "I can't spend the rest of my life going back and forth between the two of you. I chose Rachel. I'm sticking with my decision. It's the right thing to do."

She made a scene of peering behind him and he turned around, confused as to what or _who _she was looking at.

"What are you looking at?" he asked her, the confusion never leaving his face.

"Oh nothing," she said in a singsong voice, shrugging nonchalantly. "I was just checking to see whether or not someone was holding a gun to your head. You sure make it _sound _like there is."

He frowned at her, not having found her joke all that funny.

"Look, I just came here to make sure you were okay," he told her. "Puck said-"

"Forget what he said," she interrupted him, just wanting him to leave now. "I'm fine. Don't let the door hit you on the way out."

Puck was right. She was special all on her own. She didn't need anyone, not even _Finn_.

"Why do you always do that?" he exploded, his frustration matching hers. "You always break down and put up those damn walls of yours as you please. I _care _about you, Quinn. Why's that so hard fo-"

"I need you to _love _me!" she shouted, her lips quivering as a fresh tear rolled down her cheek. "I need you…to love me," she repeated quietly as she tried to choke back sobs.

"I _do _love you, Q," he assured her, taking a step toward her with every intention of enveloping her into his arms.

She put a hand up to stop him before he got too close.

"No, I need you to _love _me, Finn," she repeated herself again, emphasizing the word love and hoping that he would understand.

She needed to be that girl he wanted to wake up to for the rest of his life.

"I…can't give you what you want, Quinn," he whispered when he realized what she had meant, averting his gaze from her.

She stood up from the edge of the bed and walked over to him, resting a hand on his cheek.

"At least tell me the truth," she pleaded with him, her other hand on her heart. "You _wanted _to kiss me that day."

He unknowingly wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer.

"I wanted to kiss you that day," he admitted, but the tension in the room remained stagnant. "Hell, I wanted to take you on the gym floor…and I wanted to have my way with you again after that 'I Kissed A Girl' performance. I'm pretty sure almost every guy who caught a glimpse of that performance wanted to."

He sighed, finally stepping away from her.

"I can't give you want, Quinn," he reiterated and the blonde could have sworn she heard regret in his voice. "I made my choice. I don't want to be that person again. I don't want to be indecisive. I don't want to be a cheater. I…_want _to be a better person."

"Then, I wish you had chosen _me _instead of Rachel before your big epiphany," she murmured, an evident sadness in her demeanor.

"Quinn, you don't need _me _to make your feel special," he enlightened her, taking her hands in his. "You're special all on your own. I _never _deserved you. I still don't."

She stood there frozen, his words continuing to ring in her ears. _He _didn't deserve _her_? Then, why did she always feel like _she _didn't deserve _him_? _God, all of this was so screwed up!_ Maybe…maybe what they needed was to work on themselves for awhile, become better people until they both felt like they _did _deserve each other because hell was going to freeze over beforeshe gave up on them, even though he insisted on staying with Rachel at the moment. Wordlessly, she took his hand and led him downstairs, pushing him out the front door.

"Come find me when you think you do," she murmured, kissing his cheek in goodbye and closing the door behind him before he could react.

Stunned, he walked back to his car and as he opened his car door, he looked up at her bedroom window one last time, a uncontrollable smile appearing on his face. He knew what she was thinking. One day, maybe the stars would align to bring them back together, but for now, they were on their own. As he lay himself down to sleep that night, Finn was confident that one day, he would be able to say the words she was so desperate to hear.

"_Quinn, we deserve each other."_


	8. Hold On To Sixteen

**A/N:** Enjoy and please take a moment to leave me a comment, good or bad! P.S. Still working on the Christmas one-shot. Thank you for being patient!

**Hold On To Sixteen**

* * *

><p>Quinn left the main office, heading for the girls' washroom where she knew Santana, Brittany, and Mercedes would be. When her destination came into view, she started to get nervous. Mr. Schue and Rachel had both promised to let them sing more often, but whether or not the girls were willing to return to the New Directions was still very much <em>their <em>choice. She took a moment to reassure herself, reaching a hand out to push the washroom door open when a familiar voice stopped her in her tracks.

"Hey Quinn," Finn called out from behind her, jogging to her side. "Can I talk to you for a moment?"

Her hand dropped to her side and she turned around to face him, pulling him away from the wooden door. She leaned against the row of lockers to her left, crossing her arms over her chest and raising an eyebrow as she waited for him to speak. It had been easier being around him ever since that night where they had agreed to push "them" aside for now and work on themselves instead. She had been so wrapped up in herself as of late that she had barely had the time to even think about "them". (She still did though of course from time to time.)

"What did you want to talk about?" she questioned when he had remained silent for too long, hoping that the girls were not planning on leaving the washroom anytime soon. "Or is 'Can I talk to you for a moment?' code for 'Can I stare at you until I make you feel uncomfortable?'"

"_What?_ No!" he assured her, his cheeks flushing in embarrassment at her observation. "I saw you talking to Rachel in the main office. What were you two talking about?"

"You," she answered just to see his reaction.

She tried to keep a straight face, but when his eyes widened and his mouth fell into an 'o', Quinn burst out laughing.

"_Oh God!_" she exclaimed, bending over and clutching her side. "The look on your face was _priceless_. I was talking to her about Yale, Finn. _Yale._"

She looked up at him again when she had composed herself. He looked even more shocked than he had before.

"Yale?" he questioned, a look of curiosity passing over his face. "What about Yale? Is she thinking about applying? She never mentioned Yale to me, _ever_. NYADA, sure, but not _Yale_."

"Relax," Quinn said, rolling her eyes at him. "_I'm_ the one who wants to apply to Yale. I was just asking your girlfriend for her opinion. We've decided we're…sort of kind of friends now."

"Really?" he clarified, his eyebrows knitted together in obvious confusion.

She smiled at him as she nodded her head, "Yes, I think I might apply. Yale has an excellent drama program. I really _do _love to perform."

"Oh, great," he commented, returning her smile. "Actually, the 'Really?' was more for the whole you and Rachel deciding that you're sort of kind of friends now bit."

"Yes to that too," Quinn informed him, not the least bit surprised that _he _was surprised. "Since we've decided to push any possibility of 'us' aside for now, Rachel and I no longer have a conflict of interest. There's no reason why we _can't _be sort of kind of friends now, right?"

"Uh, of course," Finn stuttered, remembering their agreement very well.

She had been focusing on herself a lot ever since that night and he had been trying to do the same. (Trying being the operative word there, of course, because his mind had wandered off to "them" more often than he would have liked. Did she still think of "them" too sometimes?)

When she remained silent, he added, "I think it's great that the two of you have decided to be friends."

"Good," she responded, even though she hadn't really been looking for his approval. "Well, I have to go now, so I'll catch you later, Finn."

He caught her by the wrist, whispering, "_Wait._"

She pursed her lips as she turned around to face him again, giving him a pointed look.

He stared at her wordlessly for awhile before finally shaking his head and saying, "_Never mind._"

He gave her a small smile and then she watched him spin around and leave. Even after he had turned the corner, she kept staring in that direction. Had he been remembering the very same moment that she had been?

_Quinn giggled as he hurried her into her room, tossing their backpacks carelessly onto the floor._

"_Come on," he encouraged her, nuzzling his nose against her neck with affection. "Do we have to study?"_

"_Yes!" she exclaimed, squirming against him as she tried to push him away. "We need to get good grades to get into good colleges, you know."_

_He groaned in response, his hands settling on her waist, his nose now buried in her hair._

"_Quinn, we're just juniors. Do we have to worry about college now?" he continued to whine, keeping his hold on her. "Besides, the test is on Friday. We can study tomorrow."_

_She bit her lip in contemplation. It seemed like she was about to give in, so Finn loosened his grip on her. She surprised him by taking that opportunity to step away from his arms, extending her own and placing her hands on his chest to make sure he kept his distance._

"_It is never too early to think about college, Finn," she reminded him, going over to her desk to turn on her laptop. "And you said that yesterday! We spent all afternoon making out on my bed!"_

"_Yeah, but it was an awesome afternoon," he reminded her in kind, going over to kiss her on the cheek._

_He knew when to stop pushing. He guessed they were going to study, not that he minded all that much of course. He simply wanted to spend some time with her. He went to retrieve his history textbook from his backpack, getting hers for her as well. He sat on her bed and leaned against the headboard just in time to catch a glimpse of her closing an open window on her laptop screen, which, needless to say, piqued his curiosity._

"_What were you looking at there, Q?" he asked her, pressing his lips together into a thin line._

_It puzzled him that she might have something to hid from him. As he had expected, she avoided his question, walking over to the bed to join him._

"_Nothing," she murmured, opening her textbook and snuggling up to him._

_He frowned, moving away from her and slipping off the bed._

"_You were looking at something, Quinn," he persisted, crossing his arms over his chest and staring down at her._

_She held his gaze before finally relenting, rolling her eyes as she slid off the bed to show him exactly what she had been looking at._

"_I've been looking into colleges lately," she told him as she maximized the webpage for him to see. "Colleges not around here."_

_He raised an eyebrow upon hearing her response, walking over to where she was seated at her desk._

"_Why?" he questioned, wrinkling his nose in confusion. "What happened to the whole you being a real estate agent and me taking over Burt's garage plan?"_

"_Well, I've also considered being a lawyer," she corrected him as she scrolled through a page on the Yale website. "Finn," she said, a sigh escaping from her lips, "It's no big deal, okay? I'm just…considering my options."_

_He frowned at her choice of words…considering my options. Was she referring to colleges alone or would she also be considering her relationship options at which ever college she ended up going to?_

"_Right," he murmured, forcing a smile before going back to sit on her bed._

_She observed him for a moment, smiling when she realized what he must be thinking. He was so ridiculous sometimes. She was in love with him. It was a fact that was never going to change._

"_Finn," she cooed, getting onto her side of the bed. "I'm looking into other colleges, not other potential boyfriends. I love you."_

_He whipped his head to the side to look at her._

"_I knew that," he lied, muttering under his breath._

_His lips curved up into the tiniest of smiles at her reassurance though._

"_Just promise me that no matter which colleges we decide to attend, we'll still be together," he said, the tone of his voice pleading. He laced his fingers through hers, leaned in to kiss her softly on the lips, and whispered, "I love you too."_

_She brought a hand up to the back of his neck when he pulled away, pulling him back to her for another kiss, a deeper kiss. She let out a moan as he slipped his tongue into her mouth, rolling them over on the bed and covering her body with his. Several minutes later, he felt her pushing lightly on his chest._

_He stopped kissing her long enough for her protest, "We really should study for the history test, Finn."_

_He heard her, but the look in her eyes told him that she would rather continue what they were doing too._

"_Why don't we enjoy the present for a little longer?" he suggested, smirking as he looked down at her._

"_Fine," she conceded, bringing her lips up to brush across his again, the mischievous glint in his eyes matching her own._

* * *

><p>Quinn looked down at the gift basket she held in her hands, letting out a loud, very much audible groan.<p>

"Do I _have _to?" she whined, pouting. "Besides, since _when _do you give spa gift baskets to people because they're _sick_?"

"Since now!" her mother exclaimed, getting tired of her complaining. "Carole's a good friend of mine. She sounded so _depressed _over the phone. I thought a gift basket might cheer her up. Now go! I'm not _asking _you, young lady. I am _telling _you to go and deliver that basket on my behalf."

"_Ugh, fine,_" Quinn relented, grabbing her keys off the counter and making her leave.

She arrived at her destination not five minutes later. Gripping onto the basket tightly as she walked up the front steps, she prayed to God that Finn wouldn't be home. Ever since their little encounter in the hallway at school, she had been thinking about him non-stop, plagued by all the memories they had made together when they had been dating last year. She balanced the gigantic gift basket on her knee for a moment as she reached a hand out to ring the doorbell, breathing a sigh of relief when Kurt answered the door.

"Oh hey, Quinn," he greeted her with a warm smile. "Are you here to see Finn? You missed him by about ten minutes. He has a da-"

He clammed up when he realized what he was about to reveal. Rachel was his best friend, but he still considered Quinn to be a good friend. The last thing he wanted was to rub Finn and Rachel's relationship in her face.

"He has a date with Rachel," Quinn finished for him knowingly. "It's fine. I'm…happy for them. I'm actually here to give something to Carole on my mother's behalf. May I come in?"

"Of course," Kurt answered, shaking his head at his own lack of manners.

He gestured for her to come inside before leading the way to the master bedroom.

Knocking lightly on the bedroom door, he called out to her, "Carole, Quinn's here to see you. She has a…" He trailed off, taking the basket from her hands to look at the contents. "…a spa gift basket for you!" he finished, opening the door when he heard the 'come in'.

"Hey Carole," Quinn greeted her with a small wave as Kurt brought the basket over to her bedside. "My mom thought you could use some cheering up. We both hope you'll get better soon."

"Oh, how thoughtful," she responded, glad that she hadn't needed to remind Quinn to call her Carole instead of Mrs. Hudson-Hummel. "Please tell Judy I said thank you."

"I will," the blonde assured her, giving her one last smile before following Kurt out of the room.

He had motioned toward the empty cough syrup bottle on her bedside table earlier. Carole was going to get drowsy _real _soon. Before she could head downstairs again, Kurt stopped her in her tracks, cocking his head over to where Finn's room was. Finn and Rachel were together right now, yes, but Kurt thought that Quinn needed to see what he'd been up to anyway. Something told him that Finn would choose the blonde at the very end and that his best friend would be inevitably left heartbroken once more. Finn and Quinn always managed to circle back to each other. Kurt honestly didn't understand why Rachel kept insisting on challenging that, but being her best friend, he could only support her.

Quinn followed him cautiously into his room, wondering when he took a seat in front of Finn's computer, "Uh, should we be doing this?"

Kurt maximized the one window for her to see.

"Probably not, but I thought you should know," he said, getting up from the seat, so that Quinn could sit. "He sure as hell isn't looking into Yale for Rachel. She's never even _considered _Yale."

Quinn spent a good ten minutes just staring at the computer screen. When she finally turned around, Kurt was gone. Still a little dazed, she turned off the monitor and headed downstairs, closing the front door behind her as she left. When she opened the front door to her own house less than five minutes later, she broke out into the widest smile, practically skipping up the stairs to her room. Judy Fabray broke out into a wide smile of her own when she heard her daughter start to hum as she disappeared from view. She shook her head.

_She guessed that Hudson boy had done something right again._


	9. Extraordinary Merry Christmas

**A/N:** I know the Christmas chapter from last year was better, but I tried. Reviews would be lovely. By the way, I have two Christmas one-shots done, but I plan to publish them on or around Christmas Day.

**Extraordinary Merry Christmas**

* * *

><p>"Sweetheart," her mother asked her as she came up from the basement with a large box in her hands. "Can you run downstairs and get the last box please? The one with the garlands in them?"<p>

Quinn had been unpacking some of the ornaments upstairs in the living room, where they were setting up the Christmas tree.

"Sure, of course," she answered her cheerfully, practically bounding down the stairs to do as she was asked.

There was something about the holiday season that put her and her mother in especially good moods. She grinned when she found the box marked 'garlands'. She handed the lightweight box over to her mother before heading into the kitchen to check on the Christmas cookies they were baking. She clasped her hands together excitedly when she heard a _ding! _from the oven. The cookies were done and they smelled absolutely delightful!

"Can you get me a cookie, dear?" Judy called from the living room as she wrapped magnificent strands of gold garland around the tree.

"Yup!" Quinn shouted in response as she took the hot tray out of the oven. "Um, which one do you want? Santa Clause, Rudolph, or Frosty?"

"Frosty," her mother answered, cracking a joke, "Hurry before he melts!"

"Haha, _very _funny," Quinn commented, rolling her eyes as she strode into the living room, although the tiniest of laughs escaped from her lips.

She had a Frosty cookie on a plate for her mother in one hand and Santa Clause's body in the other, having already devoured his scrumptious head. Being busy with the garland, Judy motioned for her to put the plate down on the coffee table for now. Quinn shrugged, setting down the plate, when someone rang the doorbell.

"I'll get it!" the blonde announced excitedly, running to the door.

Her dad had told her to look out for a present the last time he had called. She hoped he had sent her the diamond earrings she had been hinting about. Her smile fell, however, when she noticed who was standing on her doorstep.

"Hi Quinn," Finn greeted her sarcastically, having noticed the look of disappointment on her face. "I'm _so _glad to see you too."

"Sorry," she apologized, acknowledging that her reaction to his presence had been a tad rude. "My dad said he was sending me a Christmas present, so I thought…"

"Well, here I am!" Finn joked with outstretched arms, dropping them to his sides again when he realized just how insensitive his joke was. "Sorry, bad joke."

Quinn laughed anyway, knowing the intention behind his joke had been a harmless one.

"So, what are you doing here?" she questioned before her eyes fell to the gift bag in his hands.

_Of course _he would bring her her gift early. He was probably spending all day Christmas Day with Rachel, but then, she remembered. Hadn't they agreed _not _to exchange gifts this year?

"I come bearing gifts," he proclaimed, correcting himself immediately afterward. "Well, _a_ gift to be more exact."

"Oh," Quinn sounded, genuinely surprised by the gesture. "I thought we decided not to give each other gifts this year."

Subconsciously, she reached up to touch the silver chain around her neck. His gaze followed her hand and his heart skipped a beat when he noticed that she was wearing the snow angel necklace he had given her last year. She caught him staring at her and followed his line of vision, dropping her hand instantly when she realized just what he was staring at. She gave him a hard look, silently warning him _not _to ask her why she was wearing the delicate trinket because she might be tempted to be honest with him and pathetically confess, "Because it's the only way I'll get to spend Christmas with you this year."

Thankfully, he took her threatening gaze seriously and wondered instead, "Um, may I come in?"

Quinn hesitated for a moment, but finally stepped aside in response, letting him into the house.

She finished off the rest of her cookie at record speed before informing her mother, "Mom, Finn's here."

Judy poked her head out from the living room at the news, a look of disbelief on her face.

"Finn, lovely to see you again," she said and Finn returned the sentiment, giving her his warmest smile. "Well, uh, I'm going to go check on the rest of those cookies," she excused herself, hurrying off into the kitchen.

_What cookies?_

Quinn wished her mother had stayed instead. She felt uncomfortable being alone with Finn, especially during the holidays because the holidays gave her hope, _too _much hope. She led him into the living room, sitting down on the couch and motioning for him to sit down as well. He did, making sure to keep some distance between them.

"Here," he said, handing her gift to her. "Open it."

"Still can't wrap presents, huh?" she teased him, taking the bag from his hands.

He laughed, shaking his head, "Nope and without your help this year, I'm going to have to come clean to my mom about it. She'll be so disappointed in me."

"No, she won't," Quinn assured him, laughing as well. "Like she doesn't already know that I wrap your Christmas presents for you every year."

There was a pause.

"For the record, I would have helped you again if you'd asked me," she enlightened him, giving him a small smile.

He returned her smile, turning his attention back toward the present in her hands.

"Come on," he encouraged her. "Open it."

She took out the tissue paper first, reaching her hand in and pulling out a Yale University sweater.

"You know," he explained as if she hadn't figured it out already. "For when you go next year."

She wanted to ask him, remembering what Kurt had showed her the other day, _Did you get one for yourself too?_, but she quickly shook the silly question from her mind. _See? _The holidays only made her _hope _more often than she usually did.

"Thanks," she murmured simply, placing the sweater back in the bag.

She stole a glance at the door then, wondering whether or not she should ask him to stay for awhile. She finally decided that it was probably a bad idea.

Before she could say an early 'Merry Christmas' to him and escort him out the front door, however, he asked her, "Can I stay and help you decorate the tree?"

"I…don't think that's a good idea, Finn," she told him honestly, averting her gaze from his. "Besides, I'm heading over to the mall to meet Shelby in a bit. She's bringing Beth to take a picture with Santa later this afternoon and she was nice enough to let me tag along. Puck will be there too."

"Can I come?" he continued to persist, wanting to spend some time with her.

_He really missed her._

Before she could say no, he reasoned with her, "_Please? _It can be my Christmas present, since you didn't get me one."

_I would have wrapped myself up, put a bow on my head, and stood on your doorstep on Christmas Day if that weren't completely pathetic_, she retorted inside her head, but she sighed out loud instead, knowing that she wouldn't be able to win this battle, especially not when he was looking at her with those puppy dog eyes.

"Let me ask Shelby," she told him, getting up from the couch to make the call. "But whatever she says, goes."

"Absolutely," he agreed, waiting patiently on the couch as Quinn went to get permission for him to tag along.

He peered into a box full of ornaments sitting about a feet away from him to occupy his time. One in particular had caught his eye. It was a reindeer ornament made out of popsicle sticks. He smiled as he remembered that particular class project. He had given the ornament he had made to Quinn and she had given him the one _she _had made. He still hung the angel she had made on his tree every Christmas, wings of white feathers and all.

"Do you remember how you explained why Rudolph's nose was blue instead of red?" Quinn asked him when she reentered the room, having caught him looking at the old ornament.

"_Hey!_ I thought my explanation was pretty clever!" he responded defensively. "I still can't believe Karofsky painted over the red nose I originally had by the way. Wait, no. Actually I can."

Quinn laughed.

"Well, I've been hanging sick Rudolph on the tree every year," she assured him, taking the ornament from his hands and tossing it back into the box. "We better get going. Shelby said you could come."

"Great," Finn echoed, happy that he would get to spend some more time with her. "You won't even notice I'm there. Promise."

She bundled up and made sure her mother knew where she would be before leaving the house. As she crossed the threshold, Finn reached out a hand to grab her wrist and stop her. She turned back to look at him, a questioning look in her eyes.

"Mistletoe," he whispered, a goofy smile on his face.

_What? _That was _so _not there before. As much as Quinn wanted to use that as an excuse to kiss him, she needed to stay strong. She shook her head at him.

"Nice try, mom," the blonde shouted into the house before pushing Finn out the door and closing it behind her. "_One_ word, Hudson, and I'm going alone," Quinn warned him as they headed toward her car.

Finn clamped his mouth shut immediately, smart enough to slide wordlessly into the passenger seat. They had both wanted that kiss and now, they were both disappointed.

* * *

><p>Quinn woke up at six on Christmas Day. Unable to go back to sleep, she left the house half an hour later to go skating. She knew her mom would have breakfast on the table by ten, so the blonde left her a note to assure her that she would be back by then. She was the only one at the skating rink when she arrived of course. She put on her skates and her Christmas music before going out onto the ice. My Only Wish (This Year) started playing. <em>How appropriate<em>, Quinn mused to herself as she skated in time to the music. Halfway through the song, someone grabbed her hand and she looked up in alarm to find Finn skating next to her. She wrenched her hand from his once she recovered from her shock, skating to a stop.

"What the _hell _are you doing here?" she questioned, tempted to pinch herself to see whether or not she was dreaming.

"I, um, wanted to give you your copy of the photo from the other day," he told her, not having expected that his presence would upset her. "Your, uh, mom told me you would be here."

She stared down at the photo in his hands. After Shelby and Beth had left, he had somehow managed to convince her to take a picture with Santa with him.

"You could have given this to me at anytime," she reminded him, taking the photo in her hands.

"I could have," he agreed, skating closer to her. "But I wanted to say 'Merry Christmas' to you in person anyway, so, uh, Merry Christmas, Quinn."

She skated away from him in response, the sizzle between them borderline suffocating. He took her lack of a response as a sign that he should leave. Clearly, he had long overstayed his welcome. In fact, Finn got the feeling that he hadn't even _been _welcome in the first place. He sighed, stepping off the rink to take off his skates. Before he left though, Quinn skated to a stop in front of him, catching him off guard. She grabbed him forcefully by his coat and pulled him down for heated kiss, one that warmed them both all the way down to their toes.

When she finally pulled away from him, breathless, she shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly and explained, "Mistletoe. Merry Christmas, Finn."

He nodded numbly at her, reaching a hand up to touch his lips as he slid into his car. On the ride over to Rachel's house, he finally realized - _Wait, what mistletoe?_


	10. YesNo

**A/N:** Short chapter, but I didn't have much to work with. Also, I am officially on hiatus after this chapter. Obviously, I'll come back at some point, but for now, I really need a break. For more information, please refer to my profile. Thank you and enjoy.

**Yes/No**

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><p>Quinn started humming to herself as she strode through the hallway. Love had been in the air all week with Sam trying to win Mercedes back (Quinn was still unsure about how she felt about that…), Mr. Schue proposing to Ms. Pillsbury (It had been so romantic!), etc. She was in a wonderful mood, despite not having a love of her own at the moment. Knowing that she and Finn would be together again one day, when the time was right, was oddly enough for her.<p>

"Hey Rachel," she greeted the brunette, who was walking toward her. "Where are you headed?"

Quinn and Rachel were sort of friends now, which was still (admittedly) a little weird for her.

"Hey Quinn," came the answer. "I'm on my way to the auditorium. Finn asked me to meet him there."

The blonde raised an eyebrow upon hearing her response. Finn had asked her to meet him at the auditorium. _What for?_ Quinn shook the question from her mind. It was none of her business.

"Okay, well, say hi to Finn for me," she told her before walking past.

For some reason, with every step that Quinn took, the feeling of dread stirring in the pit of her stomach grew stronger. There was something she was supposed to remember here, but what? She recalled her earlier conversation with Santana and Brittany.

"_I was at the mall with Lord Tubbington and I saw Finn buying a ring," Brittany whispered, even though Santana and Quinn were the only ones in the room._

"_Oh God," Santana commented, sticking her finger into her mouth and pretending to vomit. "I hope he's not planning on proposing to Berry."_

_She crossed her arms over her chest and looked at her two best friends._

"_Seriously, you guys, I shudder at the thought," she continued._

_Quinn laughed, not having believed Brittany for a minute._

"_There's no way Finn's proposing to Rachel, okay?" the blonde insisted, her mind going back to the other night._

"_Who else would he buy a ring for?" Santana scoffed and Brittany nodded beside her, echoing her question._

"_I don't know," Quinn admitted, doubt starting to grow within her. "Are you sure it was even Finn, Britt?"_

"_Of course I'm sure," Brittany snapped, a little offended by Quinn's question. "I'm sure I sa-" She cut herself off when Santana sent her a look. "You know what? You're right. On second thought, it could have been anyone. He was just super tall, so I assumed it was Finn."_

She hadn't thought much about their conversation at the time, but now…Quinn stopped in her tracks and turned around, looking in the direction of the auditorium. She kept staring in that direction until Rachel turned the corner. Had _Brittany really seen Finn buy a ring?_ The blonde felt slightly panicked, but even more so, she felt hurt. After all that talk about them finding their way back to each other when the time was right…He wouldn't propose to Rachel after all that, _would he_? That would be so, so unbelievably…_cruel_. She took a deep breath and headed for the auditorium herself. There was only one way to find out.

With every step she took, she started to feel more and more guilty. _What was she doing?_ How could she have so little faith in them? _Of course _Finn wasn't going to propose to Rachel. _They were in high school for crying out loud!_ Quinn kept her hand on the door handle, making no move to slip into the auditorium just yet. _Finn and her were going to end up together. He'd almost promised her that the other night. They were in high school._ Both reasons were enough for her to trust in them again. She removed her hand from the door and turned around, planning to go back the way she came.

Surprisingly, she found Puck standing there before her.

"Saving yourself the heartache, Fabray?" he questioned, sincere concern in his eyes. "You should have gotten out when I did. You're in over your head, you know."

Quinn raised an eyebrow at him as she brushed past.

"What are you talking about, Puck?" she said, picking up her pace, mostly because she was afraid of what Puck was about to tell her.

She felt him grab her by the shoulders, turning her around and giving her a good shake.

"He's in there proposing to her and she's in there _accepting _his proposal," he got straight to the point. "Brittany saw what she saw. You're _so _deep in denial right now, Fabray."

She wriggled out of his grasp, her eyes starting to fill with tears.

"I'm not in denial about _anything_, Puck," she hissed. "The three of _you _are just over thinking things. We're in high school. He's not going to _propose _to her. That's ridiculous!"

Puck sighed, grabbing her forcefully by the wrist.

"You're going to thank me for this one day, Quinn," he muttered under his breath, dragging her back toward the auditorium.

She didn't protest, mostly because she was ready to prove Puck wrong. Finn wouldn't do something like that to her, at the very least, not without giving her a heads up. When Finn started talking about his dad, Quinn turned her head to look at Puck. _See? He just wants to talk to her about his dad. He's not proposing._ Puck returned her gaze when Rachel seated herself on the stool up on stage. _Just watch, Fabray._

With every word that left Finn's mouth and reached her ears, Quinn's smile faltered, disappeared, and then suddenly, she was frowning. Her heart beat faster with his every word. She could hear every deafening pulse in her ears. At some point, Puck took her hand to let her know that he was there for her, that she would still have him, Santana, and Brittany at the end of the day. When Finn presented the black velvet box to Rachel, there was no room left for Quinn to deny the truth. She felt sick, absolutely _sick _and her vision began to blur as hot tears filled her eyes once more. She didn't wait to hear Rachel's answer and neither did Puck.

_You make me wanna die  
><em>_I'll never be good enough  
><em>_You make me wanna die  
><em>_And everything you love  
><em>_Will burn up in the light_


	11. Michael

**A/N:** So, I finally had some time to write this chapter. I still find Quinn getting into Yale a little unbelievable, but I'll roll with it. Again, thank you so much for all your wonderful reviews. I'm not sure when I'll have the next chapter up, but I'll try not to keep you all waiting for too long!

**Michael**

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><p>Quinn closed her locker door, books in hand for her next class. As she walked down the crowded hallway, she could hear her fellow students gossiping about Finn and Rachel. She tried to tune them out. She was tired of thinking about them. She was tired of thinking about <em>him<em>. Why did she have to love that tall, awkward boy?

Quinn had spent most of her night last night coming up with ways to break Finn and Rachel up for good. As she slid into her desk, she took the crumpled piece of paper from her pocket and read over her ideas again, each one more cruel than the last. The blonde was _very _much capable of playing dirty to get what she wanted, but at the same time, Quinn was _very _much capable of taking the high road as well.

The question was, _What would she decide to do?_ The blonde turned to look at Santana, who was seated beside her. Santana would no doubt encourage her to play dirty. She turned to look at Puck and Brittany. Both of them would probably encourage her to take the high road instead. Quinn sighed, flitting her eyes over her list again. While she _really _wanted Finn to be hers again, Rachel and her were kind of friends now. Plus, she still wanted Finn to be happy, even though he had pretty much cut her out of _that _picture.

What she needed was a sign from God. She bowed her head, clasped her hands together, and said a silent prayer to God right there in the middle of class. _Please God,_ she prayed. _Give me a sign, any sign._

* * *

><p>Quinn met her mom at the front of the school, curious as to what she was doing here, since she had neglected to tell her that over the phone.<p>

"Quinnie!" Judy exclaimed upon seeing her, stepping forward to give her daughter a hug.

The blonde hugged her back, the curious look on her face shifting to one of confusion. _Did they win the lottery or something?_ When she pulled back, she watched her mother rummage for something in her purse. She froze when she took out a white envelope. _Yale. _She was going to find out whether or not she had been accepted to Yale. She took the envelope from her mother's hands, her own shaking uncontrollably. She was about to rip open the envelope when Judy placed a hand over hers.

"Wait," she stopped her, giving her a small smile. "Quinn, I want you to know that no matter the result, your father and I are still very proud of you."

Quinn returned her smile. She doubted her _father _was, but knowing that her mother was at the very least made her heart swell.

"Thank you," she murmured, pulling her into another hug before finally opening up the envelope in her hands.

She spotted the word 'Congratulations' and leaped into her mother's arms.

"I got into Yale! I got into _Yale_!" she shouted, unable to suppress her euphoria. "Early acceptance!"

When she finally came down from her high, she realized that _this _was exactly the sign she had been looking for. God had answered her prayers. It was time to leave the past behind and welcome the future with open arms. It was then and there that Quinn decided to take the high road. Rachel could have Finn. Suddenly, Quinn wanted Yale that much more.

* * *

><p><em>You can't change your past. But you can let go and start your future.<em>

Finn knitted his eyebrows together in confusion upon hearing her words. Was that her way of telling him that she was letting him go? That she was moving forward without him? He could hardly blame her, he supposed, especially with the way he had been treating her lately. In that moment, he sort of realized how much he took Quinn for granted. He always expected her to _be _there for him whenever he needed her. As much as a part of him wanted to ask her to stay, to not go to Yale, he knew that would be unbelievably selfish of him. _He had proposed to Rachel for God's sake!_ He turned to look at his girlfriend and maybe fiancée then. He loved Rachel. He did, so why did he always find himself thinking about Quinn? Maybe the two of them would be better off without him. It would hardly be fair to hold Rachel back either after all.

When he followed Rachel's gaze and noticed that Quinn and her were looking at one another, he caught on to what was going on pretty quickly, which was rare for him. _Of course _Quinn was planting seeds of doubt into Rachel's head to break them up! Her little message hadn't been directed at _him_. It had been directed at _Rachel_. A part of him was upset that she would try to sabotage him like this. Another part of him was happy that she would even bother to do so. It must mean that she still cared about him, right? That maybe she wasn't quite ready to leave Lima behind without looking back.

He went up to the front of the room to congratulate Quinn with the others. Once every had left the room, including Rachel, he said, "I know what you're up to, Fabray. Honestly, I can't say I'm surprised."

Quinn locked her eyes on his and questioned, a look of complete and utter confusion on her face, "What are you talking about, Hudson?"

"You're trying to convince Rachel to say no to my proposal," he answered her, getting straight to the point. "Admit it, Quinn."

Quinn scoffed, heading for the door, but Finn stepped in front of her and blocked her path.

"_Admit it,_" he repeated, wanting to hear the words from her mouth.

"Yeah, okay," Quinn conceded, taking a step toward him.

He took a step back in response, her closeness making him dizzy. She took another step forward in retort and then, another and another until he was backed up against the choir room door.

"So, maybe I _am _trying to convince Rachel to say no to your proposal," she confessed, looking up at him through her eyelashes as she walked her fingers up his chest. "_Maybe _I still want you all to myself even though you've been acting like a complete _douche _to me over the last little while."

She paused, her lips a breath away from his now. When he leaned in in an attempt to close the distance between them, she stepped back, tilting her head to the side, an amused smile on her face.

"_You,_" she emphasized, pointing a finger at him. "You do _not _get to kiss these lips every again."

She smirked, giving him a small wave before opening the door and brushing past him. Quinn never expected him to follow her out into the hallway.

"Look, Rachel's the only good thing in my life right now," he told her seriously, again not thinking about his words. "_Please _don't ruin that for me."

Quinn swallowed hard, blinking rapidly to get her emotions in check before turning around to confront him.

"I'm not trying to ruin _anything _for you, Finn," she informed him. "Whether you choose to believe it or not, I'm taking the high road this time. I've got Yale. I don't _need _you anymore. I don't _want _you anymore. I'm telling Rachel to say no to your proposal because you're both too young to get married. You both have your whole lives ahead of you. What's the rush?"

He felt his heart break at her words. _I don't need you anymore. I don't want you anymore._ He took a step toward her, forcing Quinn to step back into the row of lockers behind her.

"So, you're really…over me then?" he questioned, his voice breaking as he said the word 'over'.

She brought a hand up to the curve of his cheek.

"Yeah," she murmured, giving him a melancholic smile before sidestepping to escape his overbearing presence.

_I have to be._

Finn stood there and watched her leave, wanting to call out to stop her, but he had practically made that decision for her when he had proposed to Rachel. He had _forced _her to get over him. _Shit._ Why had he proposed to Rachel? He was about to leave as well when something on the floor caught his eye. He picked the crumpled piece of paper up and unfolded it. He guessed Quinn had been brainstorming ways to break Rachel and him up after all. She might not have followed through on any of these (and thank God she didn't), but she had _thought _about breaking them up at the very least. Finn had to admit he hated her scheming ways, but Quinn wouldn't be Quinn without them. He smiled as he tucked the piece of paper into his pocket for safekeeping. He wasn't particularly religious, but he prayed anyway. _Please God,_ he prayed. _Give me a sign, any sign. Am I meant to be with Rachel or Quinn?_ When Finn got home, there was a letter from Yale waiting for him. He was on some sort of waiting list. That had to be a sign, right?

Yes?

No?

_Maybe?_


	12. The Spanish Teacher

**A/N:** Sort of a filler chapter in preparation for the next two, both of which I will try very hard to get out in the next week or so. I've just been so busy. Plus, my laptop died on me and I'm not sure when I'll be getting a new one.

**The Spanish Teacher**

* * *

><p>Quinn slid into her car, a tired sigh escaping from her lips. School had been especially tiring today, so she was looking forward to going home, not that she would have much time to rest. The blonde had quite a few assignments to get started on. She jumped in her seat as she slipped the key into the ignition because someone opened up the door on the passenger side then, sliding in without invitation. She grabbed the nearest weapon she could find and was about to bash the intruder over the head with her math binder when she realized who the intruder was.<p>

"What do you think you're doing?" Quinn shouted, eyes wide as she bashed him over the head with her binder anyway. "You scared the living daylights out of me!"

"Hey! _Stop!_" Finn shouted in return, shielding his head with his arms in an attempt to soften her continuous blows. "I'm sorry! I didn't know how else to get your attention!"

She stopped hitting him upon hearing his words, tossing her binder into the backseat. Finn's eyes followed the trajectory of the binder and once he was sure that he was safe again, he lowered his arms, mumbling a 'thank God' under his breath.

"What are you talking about, Finn?" Quinn questioned, a little confused by his explanation.

Had he even been _trying _to get her attention? If so, _she _certainly hadn't noticed. Finn rolled his eyes at her, turning his body slightly so that he was facing her.

"Don't play dumb with me, Fabray," he warned her, pointing a finger accusingly in her direction. "You've been avoiding me lately."

The blonde smiled sweetly at him and assured him, "I haven't been avoiding you, Hudson. Don't flatter yourself. For your information, I've been _super _focused on school as of late. I may have gotten into Yale, but the acceptance still remains conditional. If my grades suffer from now until graduation, the university could very well revoke my acceptance and I am _determined _to leave this small town."

Finn laughed, shaking his head in disbelief. She could be such a worry wart sometimes.

"Quinn, you're going to be _fine_. You were good enough to get in, right? _Some_ people get put on the waiting list," he said, hoping that she would get the hint.

She narrowed her eyes at him, witnessing him squirm under her scrutinizing gaze. Did he mean…? Was he saying…? _No freaking way._

"_You _applied," the blonde finally stated, an incredulous look on her face. "And you're _on _the waiting list?"

She looked surprised right now for two rather different reasons. One, he had _actually _applied to Yale for her? _Wow._ Two, he was on the waiting list? That _had _to be some sort of mistake. Quinn believed in Finn, more so than most people did, but even she knew he was far from being Yale material.

"Yeah, for you," he answered her honestly, hearing her unspoken questions loud and clear. He gave her a goofy grin as he admitted, "And yeah, I'm starting to think they made a mistake too."

Quinn's eyes widened in surprise. Sometimes she really had to spell things out for Finn, but there were moments when he read her thoughts with such clarity. Those moments were usually the ones that mattered the most too.

"I'm not offended by the way," he assured her when he noted the look of surprise on her face. "I know I'm far from being Yale material."

The blonde nodded her head at him, glad that he hadn't taken offence to her thought. She chewed on her lower lip as she thought about how to handle the current situation, the one he had completely caught her off guard with. Sure, she knew that he had been looking into Yale (thanks to Kurt), but she'd never thought he'd _actually _apply.

"Finn," she started, treading carefully with her words. "I'm _flattered _that you applied to Yale for me…" She trailed off, tilting her head to look at him in concern before she continued, "But whatever you're trying to achieve here probably isn't a good idea."

There she went again, being honest with him. After all the lies, the games between them, the two of them felt like they had a lifetime of honesty to make up for. _It was time to grow up._

"You're engaged to Rachel, remember? You should be following her to New York," Quinn reminded him, wanting to set him back on the right track, although there was a hint of sadness in her voice.

The sadness in her voice went over his head and Finn looked down at where his hands were on his lap, nodding his head in agreement seconds later.

"Yeah, I know," he echoed, deciding to share his concerns with her. "But I just…I don't know. I asked God to help me. You know, give me a sign?"

"A sign for what?" Quinn wondered, although she had an inkling.

"Whether I belong with you or Rachel," Finn informed her, which was what the blonde had suspected anyhow. "Anyway, like right afterward, I found out that I got on the waiting list for Yale…"

"So, you thought that God was giving you a sign, that _that _was the sign you had requested?" she concluded for him, making a conscientious effort to look forward and not at him. "That's ridiculous, Finn. That's…"

"That's not it," he interrupted her, looking up at her now. He brought his hand to her chin, making her look at him as he enlightened her, "I'm pretty sure the Yale thing was a mistake, but the next day, I got an acceptance letter from a community college that I applied for nearby and…"

"Finn, _stop_," Quinn demanded, pushing his hand away and facing forward once more. "Just _stop_. You're being completely ridiculous. God's too busy to give you signs, okay?"

She couldn't stand listening to any of this nonsense anymore. She didn't even bat an eyelash when she saw his face fall in the corner of her eye.

"You're getting cold feet because deep down, you know you're not ready to get married, _period_," she spelled out for him, reading _him _with clarity now like he had her earlier. "That's fine, but _please _don't use me as an excuse to break off your engagement."

_What? _She was _so _off base right now. Okay, _now _he was offended.

"I'm not using you as an excuse for _anything_, Quinn," he spat, unable to contain his anger. "I'm not getting cold _anything _either."

He swung open the car door, turning back to face her with one foot outside the vehicle.

"Try to show up on time for the wedding, okay?" he mocked her, to which she retorted, "Why bother when you're not going to show up at all?"

Quinn ignored the slam of the car door and started the engine, refusing to look at him as she drove by. Finn was nowhere _near _ready to get married and neither was Rachel. Since Finn insisted on living in a state of denial, the blonde was going to have to focus in on the petite brunette. One of them needed a wakeup call and Quinn had every intention of being the one to dish it out.


	13. Heart

**A/N:** I have been so busy with school because all of my courses are almost over. Thank you for your patience!

**Heart**

* * *

><p>Quinn pursed her lips in displeasure as Rachel walked away from her. How could she <em>not <em>see the mistake that she and Finn were about to make? The blonde knew that there were a lot of people who married young who had successful marriages, but really, what was the rush? If the two of them truly loved one another, surely they would feel the same way about each other five years from now?

Admittedly, at first, Quinn had wanted to end the engagement because she was still very much in love with the groom-to-be, but now, she was mostly trying to convince them to call off the engagement because neither of them were _ready _for such a big step. What scared her the most was that _neither _of them could see that. Now that Finn and Rachel were both sick of her preaching, however, what other choice did she have but to just give up?

* * *

><p>Quinn put down her pen to attend to her ringing phone. Truthfully, she kind of needed the break. The homework that was begging to be completed seemed to be never-ending.<p>

"Hello?" she spoke into her phone as she rested her head in her hand.

(She forgot to check caller ID.)

"I _need _you," Finn said from the other end of the line, not even bothering to return her 'hello'.

Time seemed to stand still, her breath caught in her throat upon his words. _I need you._ Even though she knew that whatever he needed her for was not the way she probably _wanted _him to need her, she would be there for him anyway, _always_. At the end of the day, whether she was upset with him or missing him, _whatever_, she would be there just like he would always be there for her.

"You…" she trailed off, her voice a little shaky, _uncertain_. "…_need _me?"

She cleared her throat afterward, hoping that he hadn't noticed how much hearing those three words had affected her, how much hearing those three words had meant to her.

"Yeah," he murmured, not really understanding why that was a question.

He would _always _need her.

There was a slight pause before he apologized, "Look, the other day, all of that stuff that went down between us in your car, I…"

"You're sorry. I'm sorry," she interrupted him, nodding her head. "Let's move on."

There was nothing he could do that she wouldn't eventually forgive and she knew that that went both ways. There really wasn't a need to dwell on their past mistakes. She'd said some stuff she'd regretted and he'd done the same.

"Okay, um, I…" he stuttered, the nervousness he felt in the pit of his stomach almost unbearable. "I'm going over to Rachel's for dinner tonight. Not just me. Burt, my mom…The families are meeting each other and Q, I'm starting to panic. I mean, her dads are even giving Rachel bridal magazines and stuff. _Who reads bridal magazines!_"

If the situation wasn't so serious, Quinn would have burst into laughter over his current predicament. Instead, she bit down on her lower lip to keep herself from doing so.

Once she was sure she had her giggles suppressed and under control, she answered him, her voice as calm as ever, "Um, bride-to-bes? Just a guess."

"_Haha,_" he echoed sarcastically, rolling his eyes at her even though she couldn't see it. "_Hilarious_, Fabray. I'm serious. I'm _this _close to having a panic attack. _I need help!_ I need _you _to help _me_."

"Okay, Finn," she instructed him, going through the motions with him. "Close your eyes and breathe. Good. Breathe in, breath out. Deep breaths. Keep going. Okay, how exactly do you expect me to help you? I'm not sure what you're asking me to help you with, Finn."

"I don't know," he muttered in response, although he felt much calmer now.

Just hearing her voice calmed him. Just _thinking _about her calmed him, really.

"I just…Everything's moving so fast," he finally explained. "I feel like we're getting married tomorrow and I'm going to be a father in a week!"

Quinn raised an eyebrow at his words. She knew what he had meant, but she couldn't resist teasing him a little. (Okay, _a lot_.)

"You said _feel_, right?" she clarified, her tone slightly mocking. "Because I thought you did some research after the whole hot tub thing and…"

"_Yes!_" Finn practically shouted, not amused with her teasing him right now. "_Feel_, Quinn. I know I can't _actually _have a baby in a week."

"Well, _actually_, Rachel would be having the baby, not you," Quinn pointed out to him, having a lot more fun right now than she probably should be.

He groaned in response, getting up from where he was sitting in front of his desk and falling backwards onto his bed.

"I'm just nervous…and confused," he admitted, running a hand down his face. "I mean, everyone's so…_supportive_! My mom, Burt, Rachel's dads…"

"I'm not," she reminded him before she could stop herself, biting down hard on her tongue at once.

Luckily, Finn didn't seem to hear her because he didn't say anything in response (or maybe he just didn't know _what _to say in response).

"Finn," she spoke up again, a sigh leaving her lips. "I'm not sure what you want me to say right now. Calm down? Everything's going to be fine?"

"Nothing," he whispered honestly. "I guess I…just wanted to hear your voice. I mean, nothing could be worse than that dinner I had with your parents, right?"

He mentally kicked himself for his words.

"I didn't mean it like that," he explained himself quickly, to which she assured him just as quickly, "That's okay. I know what you meant. It probably would have gone better had you not broken into song about me having your baby."

There was a slight pause before they broke into laughter.

"I _was _pretty ridiculous, huh?" he confirmed, the goofiest of smiles on his face as he remembered how nervous he had been on that day.

_He had been a billion times more nervous than he was now._

"Yeah, kind of," Quinn answered him as their laughter died down.

Finn had really wanted to take care of Drizzle, take care of _her_, and the memory of that brought a huge smile to her face. There was a long silence afterward as the two of them relived the rest of that night in their heads, neither of them smiling at the end as the night had ended in tears.

"Finn," she started, hesitation in her voice as she debated whether or not she should ask him the question that had been on her mind for the last ten minutes or so.

"Yes," he responded without hearing her question, knowing _exactly _what she wanted to ask him.

There was no hesitation in his voice. He was calm, collected. _He was sure._

"I'd do it all over again," he assured her, gripping the phone just a little tighter in his hands. "In a heartbeat. I've never regretted any moment I've shared with you, good or bad."

Quinn found herself tearing up at his words and she gripped onto her phone just a little tighter, hoping he could read her mind.

_Please, don't marry her._

Finn closed his eyes, picturing her in his mind. He knew she was tearing up, that she was trying hard not to cry.

_I'm in way too deep._

"Good to know," she said, forcing a smile, having gotten his message loud and clear. "I guess I'll catch you at the Sugar Shack later. The God Squad's performing, so…"

"Um, yeah," he mumbled, sounding equally dejected, having already forgotten why he had called her in the first place. "Yeah, I'll see you. Bye, Q."

"Bye."

_All I went through lead me to you  
><em>_So I'd do it all over again for you_


	14. On My Way

**A/N:** As usual, thank you for your patience. Reviews would be lovely. Scenes relating to Quinn's accident will be in the next chapter.

**On My Way**

* * *

><p>"Lollipops?"<p>

_Mid-presentation in her history class, Quinn froze, not because she was experiencing nervousness or some other silly little emotion like that but because that gagging feeling had returned and was currently taking over her body. The blonde hated being pregnant. Please be good, she mentally asked of her unborn child then. Mommy needs to finish her presentation. Another lurch and Quinn knew that her baby was not prepared to comply to her request, which she had thought had been simple enough. Damn it! She looked at her teacher, the look in her eyes apologetic, before clamping her hand over her mouth and running out of the room._

_As she fled from the scene, she could hear her classmates whispering about her. Some were laughing at her supposed stage fright. Others were murmuring about her possible pregnancy. She hadn't begun to show yet, but people were already hypothesizing that she was. Why else would she have to throw up so much, especially in the mornings? And as was expected, with rumors about her possible pregnancy running rampant came harsh words like "whore" or "slut". Quinn was aware that there were even bets as to who the father of her unborn child was - Finn, most likely, maybe Puck or maybe even some other sucker on the football team._

_The gagging sensation she had felt earlier had subsided somewhat as she entered the girls' bathroom, but mostly because now, she was experiencing an overwhelming desire to cry. Quinn went into the nearest stall to throw up first. She stayed on her knees afterward, looking down at the porcelain bowl. How had she gotten to this point in her life? Oh, right. Because she had stupidly decided that the words "trust me" were a sensible birth control option. She hated Puck, sure, but mostly, Quinn just hated herself. She hated herself for even letting him get that close to her. She hated lying to Finn. She hated to burden him with a child that wasn't even his, but she needed someone, and who else would be there for her unconditionally but Finn Hudson?_

_Quinn rested her head against the side of the bathroom stall, reading the writings on the walls. Most of them were in her handwriting and reality hit her then. Soon, when she started to show and her possible pregnancy was confirmed, people would be writing about her on these walls. She'd become the subject of ridicule, the one thing she had worked so hard to avoid. Being on top meant that no one could touch you and Quinn had always worked hard to stay up there on that pedestal. Yet now, she was teetering on the edge, about to fall and there would be no one there to catch her. A tear rolled down her cheek then. One mistake and now, she'd have to pay for it for the rest of her life or at least until high school was over and she could move somewhere where no one knew who she was._

"_Quinn?" a small voice murmured then from the other side of the door._

_The blonde sat up, suddenly very much alert, mostly because the voice was male._

"_Finn? This is the girls' bathroom," she hissed, wiping her fallen tears away. "You can't be in here!"_

"_Don't worry," he assured her, his heart having broken as he watched her run out of their history class. "I made sure that no one was in here and I've blocked the door. Will you come out please?"_

_Finn hated that Quinn was going through all of this because of him. He almost wished that he was the one who was pregnant so that she wouldn't have to go through any of it - the morning sickness, the inevitable ridicule that was to come. All Finn ever wanted to do was make Quinn happy and he felt terrible that all he had done, all he was doing was make her miserable. Slowly, the stall door opened and Finn smiled instantly, ready to take her into his arms. His face fell when she rejected his embrace, resting a hand on his chest to keep him at a distance._

"_I just threw up in there, Finn," she explained her action, a weak smile on her face._

_He laughed, feeling stupid for not having taken that into account, especially since he had grabbed the bottle of mouth wash he had in his locker for her. Finn had been stocking up his locker with a lot of things he thought Quinn might need during her pregnancy. He'd even started reading a few baby books, secretly of course. The blonde took the bottle he was offering her gratefully, rinsing her mouth twice before she felt fresh again._

"_Okay, now I can kiss you, right?" Finn questioned, although he turned her around and kissed her without waiting for an answer. "Have you been crying, babe?" he confirmed when he pulled away from her, cradling her head in his hands. "I'm sorry I got you pregnant. I'm sorry you have to go through so much because of me."_

"_Finn, don't apologize, okay?" Quinn pleaded with him, her still glistening orbs locking onto his._

_He had no idea that he was only making her feel worse about everything just by apologizing. He stared at her in confusion, but nodded his head at her. She was clearly upset and Finn didn't want to upset her any further. Taking her hand in his, he unblocked the door before leading her out of the bathroom. He put his arm around her protectively as they walked through the halls._

"_I've already told Mr. White that you have the flu," he assured her. "It was the only excuse I could think of on short notice. He seemed to buy it though. He says you can re-do your presentation another day."_

"_Thank you, Finn," she murmured, pressing herself closer to his side and turning her face into his chest._

_She felt horrible lying to him like this, but she needed him. He was her rock. They stopped at his locker then and she raised an eyebrow at him in curiosity. He smiled at her, opening his locker to reveal the mini storage he had turned his locker into. He reached for a lollipop and handed it to her._

"_Um, thank you?" Quinn echoed uncertainly as she took the treat in her hands, looking at him now like he was crazy._

"_It's for your morning sickness," he explained, grinning at her. "I forget where, but I read somewhere that it works."_

_The blonde averted her gaze from him and laughed, a healthy blush creeping up onto her cheeks._

"_You're adorable, Finn," she told him, leaning forward to peck him lightly on the lips. "But I'm pretty sure lollipops aren't going to help."_

_Maybe they would, maybe they wouldn't, but as Quinn looked up at him, she realized that maybe falling from her pedestal wouldn't be such a terrible thing after all…as long as he was there to catch her._

"Yeah, weird, but it works."


	15. Big Brother

**A/N:** Does anyone have any ideas for missing scenes for last night's episode? I'm stumped.

**Big Brother**

* * *

><p>Finn gripped onto her hand a little tighter as the beeping of the machine continued to ring in his ears. <em>Please bring her back to me.<em> Bringing her hand up, he brushed his lips lightly against the soft skin. _Please._ Every so often, he would feel like her hand was gripping his back and he would go completely still, eyes trained on her hand, wondering whether or not the slight movement had been a figment of his imagination. _It always was._

There was a light knock on the door then and Finn already knew who was standing on the other side. The nurse always came in during this time to remind him that visiting hours were over. Just five more minutes, he would always ask of her. Just five more minutes. The nurse gave him ten tonight, so when she asked him to leave again, he did so without complaint, kissing Quinn lightly on the forehead and promising her that he would be back tomorrow.

* * *

><p>He did come back tomorrow and the day after that. He came everyday until a week had passed him by.<p>

"You _said _she would wake up within a week," he reminded the doctor, his tone accusing. "_A week._ Seven days. She's been lying there for seven days, _two _hours, and…three minutes. So, why isn't she awake yet?"

"Finn, I said she _could _wake up within a week," the doctor corrected him, sympathizing with him. "We don't know when Ms. Fabray will come to exactly."

Yeah, he was on a first name basis with her doctor by now. He was on a first name basis with everyone on this fucking floor. Going back to her room, he seated himself again, taking her hand in his. He was shaking. _They'd said she'd be back in seven days._

"Please, Quinn," he whispered, blinking back tears. "Quinn, just come back to me."

* * *

><p>"Finn!" Quinn shouted, obviously upset with him. "Where are you going? You're my Prince Charming!"<p>

Finn sighed, looking longingly at the sandbox where Puck was playing before walking back over to Quinn, who was dressed in her princess costume.

"I don't _want _to play anymore," Finn whined, although he stopped when Quinn glared at him.

The blonde rolled her eyes, helping him straighten out his prince costume.

"At least wake Snow White up!" she demanded, to which the brunette replied, "Okay! _Okay!_ How do I do that?"

Quinn lay herself down on the makeshift bed Santana, Brittany, and her had made out of a blanket. She closed her eyes and waited as Santana instructed Finn of what he had to do.

"Okay, now kiss her," the Latina demanded. "Only true love's kiss can break the evil Queen's spell. That's me."

"I'm not going to _kiss _her! She has _cooties_!" Finn protested, crossing his arms over his chest in defiance.

Quinn opened one eye and then the other.

"Just on the cheek then. You _said _you were going to be my prince. You _promised_!" the blonde reminded him, closing her eyes again.

Finn sighed, looking over at where Puck was again. There were only ten minutes of recess left, so he'd better hurry.

"Fine," he mumbled, kissing her gently on the cheek.

It was like ripping off a Band-Aid, really. When Quinn's eyes fluttered open, however, Finn remained frozen in place, hovering over her. He had never really noticed her eyes before. Underneath the sun, there was a speck of gold in them, which made her _that _much more beautiful. Cooties or not, he almost leaned in to kiss her.

"Finn! _Come on!_" Puck shouted from the sandbox, having had enough of sharing his best friend with the girls.

"C-coming!" Finn stuttered, breaking out of his trance.

He got up from where he was kneeling on the grass and stumbled over to him. Quinn sat up, watching him leave, but did nothing to stop him. For a moment there, she thought Finn Hudson had been about to kiss her for real. The thought was supposed to make her shudder because _gross_! Boys had cooties, but instead, a warm feeling enveloped her. _Uh oh._

* * *

><p>As Finn looked at her now, his mind went back to the days where he would be the Prince Charming to her Snow White. It was sort of like she was in a deep sleep now. Maybe true love's kiss would wake her. Nah, he answered himself inside his head. That was just plain stupid. <em>He was being stupid.<em>

He ran a hand over his face, letting out a loud yawn. He felt like he hadn't slept in weeks. He was so tired. He grabbed her hand and held on tight before letting himself fall asleep. He was jolted away when he felt a hand on his later.

"Quinn!" he shouted in response, thinking that she had finally awaken.

He was disappointed to find his girlfriend holding his hand, a look of concern in her eyes.

"Finn," Rachel spoke up. "I'm worried about Quinn too, but you really need to get some rest. Why don't you go home? I'll stay with her and call you the moment she wakes up, okay? I promise."

He opened his mouth, seemingly wanting to protest, but then, changed his mind because he didn't even have the energy to do that.

"Okay," he murmured, looking back at her once before he finally walked out of her room.

Two days after that, Finn was desperate enough to try kissing her.

"Just _one _kiss, Rachel," he tried to explain to his girlfriend. "One kiss. _Just one._ She might wake up!"

"Finn, we are not characters in a Disney movie!" the brunette protested, even though she was almost desperate enough to try anything herself.

"I'm sorry," Puck spoke up then, looking confused from where he stood. "But is that why you called Sam and I to come down here? You want us to kiss her?"

"Yeah, well, if my kiss doesn't work, one of yours might," Finn told him and he got a 'you're insane' look from Puck in return.

Sam was more sympathetic and went over to his side, resting a hand on his shoulder.

"I understand how hopeless you feel right now, Finn, but it doesn't work like that, man," he told him. "Like Rachel said, we're not characters in a Disney movie."

"You don't _know _how hopeless I feel right now," Finn hissed, starting to lash out now. "She wasn't your first love. Quinn's really important to me."

"Hey, man," Puck corrected him. "She was mine and correct me if I'm wrong, Sam's too. We all loved her at one point, so yeah, we _know _how hopeless you feel right now."

It wasn't exactly true. Quinn had been their first love, sure, but she had been much more than that to Finn. Everyone knew that.

"Fine, whatever," Finn grumbled, taking a seat next to the bed again and taking Quinn's hand. "Can you all go now then?"

Reluctantly, everyone cleared the room, except Rachel, who lingered for a little longer before she left too.

"Poor Quinn," she murmured as she joined Puck and Sam outside.

Puck and Sam shared a look but said nothing. They were more worried about Finn. Back inside the hospital room, Finn leaned over and kissed Quinn anyway, his heart pounding rapidly in his chest as he waited for her to respond. She didn't of course and he sank down in his chair again, completely dejected.

* * *

><p>Eventually, seeing her hurt him too much, so he stopped going...for two days, tops.<p>

* * *

><p>When Quinn finally woke up, the first person she saw was Sam.<p>

"Sam?" she whispered, still slightly disoriented.

She tried to sit up, but was unable to move.

"_Oh my God, Quinn!_" Sam exclaimed, jumping up from his seat. "I'll go get the doctor. Yeah, um, I'll be right back."

Quinn managed a nod as he left, her vision finally clearing. How long had she been lying here in the hospital? She imagined that the answer was long, considering how serious her accident had been. The blonde was grateful that she was even alive right now.

Once the doctor had seen her, people started piling into her room. Her mom, Puck, Rachel, Kurt, Mike, Tina, Mercedes, Artie…Her head started to spin. There were so many people here all attempting to talk at once. _It was so overwhelming._ Thankfully, the nurse seemed to read her mind because the she came in to remind them that only three people were allowed in her room at any one time. They all left and then returned in groups of three or smaller. Santana and Brittany came in last.

"He's been here, you know," Brittany told her, giving her a small smile. "He's just at home with the flu."

Quinn returned her smile and asked her, "He who?"

Santana and Brittany gave her a look. _She knew who._

"He's _actually_ at home with the flu, Quinn," the Latina told her. "Although I'm pretty sure that when he got the call that you were awake, he was cured."

"He's…been here?" she murmured, having thought that maybe Finn had…forgotten about her.

"_Are you kidding?_ The boy's been here day and night sitting in this chair, holding your hand, Q," she told her. "He might be marrying Rachel, but he's never going to stop loving you."

Quinn smiled, like _really_ smiled.

"Whatever," the blonde said with a nonchalant shrug of her shoulders, to which Santana and Brittany laughed in response.

_Because as if she didn't care._

* * *

><p>Finn came storming in about half an hour later, although he kept his distance from her because he was really sick and the last thing he wanted was to get Quinn sick too.<p>

"_Oh my God._ You're really awake," he managed to say before he sneezed again.

He had a fever right now and he felt fucking awful, but seeing Quinn smiling back at him definitely made him feel better.

"Yeah," she answered, laughing after she wondered, "So, I heard you've been by my side day and night. I guess you'll never stop loving me, huh?"

He echoed her laugh, neither of them taking her words too seriously because they both knew that he never would, but that he was marrying Rachel.

"Yeah, something like that," he murmured, excusing himself when he sneezed again. "So, what did the doctor say?"

As Quinn filled him in, he started to come closer and the blonde raised a hand to stop him.

"Don't come any closer, Hudson," she warned him, although the tone of her voice was playful.

He stopped in his tracks.

"Why not?" he pouted, wanting to be closer to her.

"Because you have _cooties_."


	16. Saturday Night Gleever

**A/N:** Lacking fuinnspiration lately, sorry.

**Saturday Night Glee-ver**

* * *

><p>As Quinn moved down the hall, people parted for her like the Red Sea. Whereas they had done that before because she was Quinn Fabray, they parted for her now because she was that girl in the wheelchair. She let out a loud sigh as she neared her destination. As strong as she was trying to be, she couldn't help but start to feel a little hopeless. She had been to physical therapy several times already, but had yet to show any improvements no matter how small.<p>

She thanked the student who opened the door for her to get into the library. Recently, she had been going there a lot. Reading allowed her to escape her current circumstances, even if only for a moment. As she moved toward one of the many, many aisles of books, she spotted Finn out of the corner of her eye and instantly, she smiled. Seeing Finn always brightened up her day and they'd been getting closer ever since her accident, not in a romantic way of course because really, the last thing she needed right now was probably a relationship.

As she moved toward him, she knitted her eyebrows together in confusion, mirroring the expression currently on his face as he surfed the net at one of the computer terminals.

"Hey, Finn. What are you up to?" she questioned as she pulled up beside him.

"Oh hey, Q," he greeted her in return, giving her a small smile before his mouth fell into a frown again. "Just, um, doing some quizzes online."

"What kind of quizzes?" she asked him, teasing him afterward, "Cosmopolitan quizzes perhaps? Like 'Does he _really_ love you?'"

Finn turned to look at her, eyebrow raised.

"You _do_ those?" he clarified, clearly amused. "Did you do that particular one when you were with me?"

"I didn't need to to know the answer," Quinn informed him cheekily and Finn grinned in response in a much better mood now than he had been before she had arrived.

"I'm about to do one of those career quizzes," he finally revealed to her, shifting his seat over, so that she could move closer to the computer screen.

"You know those aren't very accurate, right?" Quinn asked him, although she grabbed the mouse from him and pressed start for him anyway.

She let him finish his quiz in relative silence, the tension in the air increasing as he neared the end. As much as she didn't trust these quizzes in giving accurate results, she still wanted to know what those results were.

#1. Competitive eating champion

"_Competitive eating champion?_" Quinn read out loud, trying to stifle a giggle because actually, that _would_ be the perfect career for him.

Finn groaned. It was bad enough that that had come back as his number one result, but to have Quinn be here to witness his embarrassment? Destination: _horror_.

"Oh, wipe that traumatized look off of your face, Hudson," she demanded, rolling her eyes at him. "You look like the entire school just saw you naked or something."

She closed the window and turned to the side to look at him, a very serious expression on her face.

"You're going to find your way, Finn," she promised him, turning his head to the side and making him look at her. "We've got our whole lives ahead of us. You know, most people go through several career changes throughout their lives. I say you pick something you're sort of kind of interested in and dive right in. If you start losing interest down the road, switch paths. I mean, I want to be an actress right now, but who knows? I might find something down the road I like even better."

Finn sighed, hearing her words, but not really listening to them.

"At least you know you want to be an actress for now," he told her, opening up a new webpage. "I just feel so…stuck, you know? I feel like everyone knows where they're going but me. Plus, Rachel and I are aren't even talking right now. Life sucks."

Quinn's smile faltered for a moment when he mentioned Rachel, but Finn missed it because he'd blinked at the same time. _Rachel._ She had a feeling Rachel was only adding onto the pressure of finding something to do with his life. Quinn wasn't saying that Rachel was _literally_ pushing Finn to pick something already. What the blonde meant was that Rachel was a very ambitious girl. She'd known that she wanted to be on Broadway since _forever_. Quinn could tell that Finn wanted to be that guy for her - ambitious, driven, goal-oriented. He wanted to be her equal, in both their impending marriage and otherwise, not live in her shadow. Quinn _understood_. As a friend, she was determined to help him figure everything out.

"Alright, come on, Finny," she spoke up, heading toward the doors and motioning for him to follow her. "It's time to have some fun." She turned back to look at him and added, "I'm not _asking_, Hudson. Now, get your cute butt over here."

Finn grinned at the compliment, getting up to follow her.

"You think my butt's cute, huh?" he clarified, to which Quinn rolled her eyes, although a laugh escaped from her lips.

"Yeah, yeah," she said, heading toward the cafeteria.

"Uh, why are we here?" Finn asked when they arrived. "Lunch was two hours ago."

Quinn turned to him and smiled.

"I know, but we're here to see how well you'll do as a competitive eating champion," she informed him, making a move toward the one cafeteria lady "on duty". "Hello, I'm Quinn Fabray and my friend here…"

"This is ridiculous," Finn interrupted her, smiling politely at the cafeteria lady as he wheeled Quinn away from her. "I'm not going to be a competitive eating champion!"

He led them over to one of the empty tables, sitting across from her.

"Why not?" Quinn questioned, glad that Finn had reacted the way he did.

All part of the plan.

"Because I want to do something with my life where I'm going to feel that rush I get when I'm on the field, that rush I get when I'm performing on stage. I love to eat, yeah, but I'm not passionate about it!" he told her, the frustration in his voice apparent now.

"Why not do something that you already _know _will give you that rush then?" Quinn continued to prod him on.

Finn shook his head at her.

"The football thing's pretty much shot and I'm not Broadway material like Rachel is," he said with a sigh, although he looked up and smiled at her when Quinn reached forward and grabbed a hold of his hands.

He found comfort in her touch like he always did.

"What about acting then?" Quinn suggested. "I'm not just saying that either because _I_ want to be an actress. I think you'd enjoy it."

"Yeah, maybe," Finn murmured, brushing his thumb over the back of her hand.

Quinn somehow always managed to make things simple for him.

"It's amazing how quickly things change, huh?" Quinn spoke up then, perhaps stupidly.

Finn raised an eyebrow at her, not really catching her drift.

"We used to have everything figured out, you and me," she continued, unable to hide the sad smile on her face. "You were going to take over Burt's garage, I was going to be a real estate agent, and we were going to get a house with a white picket fence..."

Finn chuckled before he piled on, "At least three kids and a dog…"

He trailed off, clearing his throat when he suddenly remembered Rachel.

"Yeah, it's amazing how quickly things change," he finally answered her, avoiding her gaze.

"For the better?" Quinn had to clarify, tilting his chin upward so that he was looking at her again.

"For the better, definitely," Finn assured her after a moment.

"Definitely," the blonde echoed, giving him a small smile. "Okay, good."

_Were they trying to convince the other or were they trying to convince themselves?_


End file.
